


Playing the Martyr | Playing the Victor

by PaperAnn



Series: Playing Charades [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action, Alpha Gabriel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Canon, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Awkward Castiel (Supernatural), Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kali Ships It, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Missions, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Omega Sam, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Season/Series 05, Supportive Dean, Topping from the Bottom, True Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2018-12-18 21:04:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 60,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11882793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperAnn/pseuds/PaperAnn
Summary: Everything is riding on Sam and Gabriel's success at stopping the Michael vs Lucifer Showdown, now, more than ever.  The race to the finish line is on.  It's more than just saving the world, it’s about creating a safe place and protecting their future.  Adding a pup into the mix sure puts things into perspective.Joined by a new ally, with Gabriel finally a constant at Sam's side, and armed with concrete plan to shove Lucifer back into the Cage, things areactuallylooking up.  Except for one tiny, pint-sized hitch in the road...Everyone knows that Sam is carrying a nuke.  It's a fact he'd be able to ice the Devil with the snap of his damn fingers.  But that's the last thing Sam wants, he won't let his pup be used as a weapon, he refuses to give in.  All he wants is the chance for his pup to have a normal life, a normal childhood, and that's impossible if there's blood on the baby's hands before it's even born!Unfortunately, the pup already has a mind of its own and keeps getting Sam into trouble!  It figures.  After all, Sam and frigginGabrielare the parents.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are! The third and final installment of Playing Charades!
> 
> If you're clicking into this fic for the first time, you most definitely need to read both part one ( **Playing the Victim | Playing the Fool** ) and the second work ( **Playing the Ward | Playing the Rogue** ). This installment picks up exactly where the previous fic left off without missing a beat, so it may be a good idea to re-read the end of the last chapter anyway :)
> 
> The absolutely amazing, wonderful, sweet, talented [dr-dean](http://dr-dean.tumblr.com/) has been at my side as both a beta, a cheerleader _and_ a massive support the entirety of this series! I cannot thank her enough and couldn't have done it without her  <3
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys the conclusion and all the mischief, angst and smut leading up to it! I've loved writing every second of this series and I'm very excited to share the rest of it with you. Updates will be weekly until the grand finale!

Anytime there was a battle, anytime Dean was forced to be separated from his brother was a nightmare.  He didn’t want Sam to leave him into the dust and run right into Lucifer’s arms back inside the building, just as the Devil wanted.  He didn’t _care_ if Sam was with Gabriel, Dean was stone-cold terrified.  This was what they’d been avoiding!  This was what they’d been running _from_!   
  
It took everything in the alpha to hold back, seeing the flashes of light behind the half-shattered glass entrance, hearing the roars of the walls shaking...Dean’s own body was trembling with each new earthquake.  Still, he’d respect Sam’s wishes, no matter how badly they tore him up.  Plus, there was the fact that a certain Goddess had kept him away from the chase with an iron grip on his damn shoulder!   
  
Dean was watching the double doors on pins and needles with sweat dripping down his neck, concentrating so hard he had to remind himself how to breathe.   
  
When Gabriel and Sam finally exited the Elysian Fields Hotel hand in hand, Dean sighed heavily waiting outside the car with Kali…who hadn’t left.

The older Winchester looked upon the two in shock and pointed to the woman when he nearly shouted, so rattled, “S-She said the Lucifer was _gone_.  How-?!”

Gabriel shot the goddess a look.  Sam recognized it as one of unspoken telepathy, and the woman rolled her eyes.

Kali looked thoroughly put out, but went through the motions of saying, “Well.  I’m glad you were able to find the sigils I laid out for the banishing trap.”  She looked at Dean and recited, “Whatever’s caught in the middle’s sent packing.  I had it ready in case of an emergency, for my own escape.  But it could be used to get rid of anything.  The three outer points of the equilateral triangle need the blood of a human, Pagan and an angel.  Pagan blood’s all over the floor, no doubt it touched the point.  Looks like Gabriel and Sam lit up the remaining corners and Lucifer was in the middle, just in the nick of time.”

“So that’s what you meant when you said ‘this might be the only way for both of them?’” Dean echoed, blinking openly.  “Dude, you should have said something _earlier_!  I was freaking the fuck out!  Did you know, Sam?!”

“Yeah, but Gabriel ordered me to stay away!  Of course I had to go back.”  Sam was filled with relief that his mate could come up with something so plausible on the fly like this, but he was confused as to why _Kali_ was going along with it.

Since the omega already had a damn good amount of hate for the goddess, and now that he thought about it, he snapped out, “Why are you still here?”

The woman looked a bit taken aback, but narrowed her eyes when she said, “I was watching your brother.  And I wished to speak with Gabriel.”

“He has nothing to say to you.”  Sam growled without a lick of hesitation.  “ _You_ fucked up.  Your people, your family, they're all dead.  And it’s all because of _your_ arrogance.  Never forget that.  You can leave now.”

Kali tilted her head to the side as she watched him, this time with interest and curiosity, as Gabriel rubbed Sam’s back, telling the brothers, “We’ve gotta get the fuck out of here.  We don’t know how long that emergency exit’ll keep him away.  Plus, I already told Sam, but I’ve got a new plan we need to get to work on.  Like, yesterday.”

“Gabriel!” Kali tried again, but was met with a sigh and a snap of his fingers.

Now, all four of them (with the Impala in tow) were in the parking lot of a new hotel.  Anyone taking bets would say it was somewhere along a shore - because it was no longer four-star material, instead a downgrade to their usual tacky hole-ups with seashells and mermaids decorating the front sign.  Still, this was what the Winchesters were used to, so it felt a bit more like home and soothed their fried nerves.

Out from Gabriel’s hand dropped a room key and he tossed it to Dean, saying, “How about you boys take your showers and a breather.  I’ll be in to chit-chat in a few.”

The alpha caught the key and nodded, briefly turning to the Impala to grab his overnight duffle bag and looked at his brother.

The same brother who still hadn’t left Gabriel’s side.  Sam was staring down Kali with something fierce.

“Sam?   _Hey_ , c’mon, dude.  They’ll be right outside.  You don’t need to piss on him, or anything!” Dean griped loudly and began to walk towards the omega.

But Gabriel turned and grabbed Sam’s face, hauling him down into a filthy, hot kiss.  When he pulled away, Sam was surprised and a bit speechless, which was exactly where the archangel wanted him.  He kissed the tip of his mate’s nose and told him, “I’ll be in soon, I promise.  Maybe I’ll even hop in the shower with you,” he added the lewd wiggle of eyebrows.

That seemed to break Sam out of his strange possessive alpha-like posturing, because now he was rolling his eyes at Gabriel and groaning, “Fine,” before he kissed his forehead.  “Just don’t let her pull any more shit.”  He shot one more glance to the goddess before he had to swat Gabriel’s hand away from his ass.   
  
Sam finally acquiesced to follow Dean into the hotel room, since his brother taken the initiative to grab both their bags.  And a shower sounded all kinds of awesome with the day he had.

The alpha waited until his mate was inside, and he heard the tell-tale click of the door lock.  Then he instantly manifested a soundproof bubble around the two of them so neither of the Winchesters could eavesdrop (especially his nosy mate) when he turned to face Kali.

“Thanks for being a pal and going along with _that_ story.  Oh, and for being our home pregnancy test.  Apparently, neither of us had any idea until you got all freaky with your stalkery looks and glances.”  Gabriel cast a long scan of his own over his former lover before he continued.  “Now, the _real_ question.  Why did you stick around?  If Lucifer was gone, there was no reason to protect Dean-o.  Sure as shit no reason to talk to me, hell, Sam's a second away from ripping out yer throat.  These kids don't look like much, but you're putting yourself in the line of fire, you know.”

“You saved me.”  She explained evenly before taking a step closer.  “And you were right.  We were no match for him, as much as I hate to say it.  When I felt his power…” Kali clenched and unclenched her fist.  “Did you mean it?  When you said you had a way of killing him?”

With piqued interest, Gabriel asked, “Why do you care?”

“Because I’m in your debt.  And you _know_ I loathe owing anyone favors.  I want revenge too.  I can help.”  She had the guts to reach out and grab his shoulder, meeting his eyes with a look of determined intensity.  “Tell me what I can do.”

“Not this.”  He shrugged off her touch.  “That’s for sure.  And I don’t think my mate will be too happy about your assistance.”

“Hah, but your mate is now with pup.”  She challenged right back, “Something tells me that even though you tell him you won’t handle him with kid gloves, that won’t be the case.  You need another ally.  You know my strength, there’s no need to pretend you don’t.”

The archangel froze at the thought.  Because, in a way, she was right.  He promised Sam they wouldn’t use him as a weapon, and if their pup wasn’t a weapon…it may be a liability.  Even though it was a source of immeasurable power, they had drawn a line - they needed to put the child into one category or the other and not mince it’s place.  

Would it be their pup to raise and love?  

Or a tool to save the world?  

Sam made it clear he wouldn’t allow it to be both, and Gabriel needed to honor that even though it _had_ saved them tonight.

“All right.”  Gabriel finally decided.  “I’ll bring you in with me when we hash out the plan.  But there are rules.  And I am _not_ fucking around when it comes to these rules, okay?”

“Good.”  Kali seemed to be very receptive and ready to soak in his words like a sponge.

“We’re keeping the pup a secret.  From Dean.  From _everyone_.  Hell, I don’t even know if Lucifer knew where the power came from, I don’t know if he knew it was a nephil, I don‘t know if others can feel _we‘re_ mated even.  Well, Luci knows because Sam broadcasted it, but not the rest of the winged dicks.  I’m trying to flying under the radar with the angels unless the boys really need me, so I suggest you do the same.  Only angel that’s on our team is a seraph named Castiel.  Although I don’t know where the fuck he’s flown off to, all I know is that he’s alive.”  Then, with some thought he lit up and said, “After this meeting, I need _you_ to find him.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”  She tossed her hair over her shoulder with sheer confidence and nodded for him to continue.  “Anything else?”

“Don’t torment Sam.  Just…please.  And we’re giving you a make-over.”  Gabriel decided at random, and snapped his fingers.

Kali gasped as her curve-hugging blood-red dress and stilettos were replaced by a tight black tank top, faded denim jeans, black leather jacket and heeled combat boots.  She shot him an annoyed squint, but he snickered and retorted right away.

“Hey, you look like a hunter.  Be glad you're not wearing a flannel like the rest of them do.  Fuckin' lumberjacks.  Annnnd at least you still get to show off some cleavage and those shoes are designer, I hope you know!”  He waggled a finger at her and clucked his tongue.  “Nothing but the best for a high-maintenance bitch.  Feel free to add your own twist, but you’ve gotta be able to blend in to be part of the team.  Maybe add in some blockers, because your alpha gets a little wacko-crazy when you’re angry.”

With a snap of her own, she accessorized just to spite Gabriel - but it was still workable so he stayed silence.  Kali asked in a deadpanned way, “Are we ready to meet up, then?”

“Yeah…”  The sigh he drew was heavy because he was worried about the outcome of bringing the team together, but he knew it was time to face the music.  “Better now than never.”

\---------------------

Sam was in the shower when he heard the door open to the motel through the thin walls.  Then just as he’d promised - Gabriel appeared right in front of him.  The only thing that he didn’t like was that there was a voice chatting with Dean.  His mouth was poised to ask a question, but Gabriel mojo-shut the bathroom door and sealed his lips to Sam’s.

When he pulled away, Gabriel told the omega, “We’re soundproofed,” then dropped down to kiss Sam’s still-toned stomach.  He hummed and the hunter could sense these strange flickers of warmth, not just from Gabriel’s lips but from something inside him, as the alpha joyfully announced, “Can feel ’em.  Holy shit.”

Gabriel’s odd happiness and delight was getting Sam scent-drunk and he had to ask, “You really couldn’t before?”

“Nah.”  The alpha looked up at Sam from where his cheek was still pressed against his omega’s middle and explained, “I think it’s a way the nephil's protecting itself.  It’s not a normal pup, kiddo.  They can feel you, knows that there’s danger around and hide their presence.  Smart, powerful-”

“B-But ours will be okay, right?  A normal pup?  We can raise it that way, can’t we?”  Nervousness spiked in Sam’s core when he thought about it, still trying to comprehend the fact he was going to be a dad - _and_ that everything he’d read up on nephilim before had been tales of their slaughter.  

Because they had too much power, they were dangerous, they were-

“Only reason it was written that way was because of fear.  Plus, they’re _extremely_ rare, Sammy.  But in against the odds that angels banged a human and actually got ’em knocked up, it’s one of the worst sins an angel can commit.  So they run.  They either get rid of 'em, torment them, think they’re worse than demons and what do _they_ become?  Poor kids never stood a chance - so what would you do?  You’ve got all that power and you act out.”  Gabriel brushed his lips against Sam’s middle and whispered to it, “But you, little one, you’re gonna have the _best_ chance.”

The archangel stood up with a wide grin, elaborating on his explanation to Sam’s face, rather than his stomach.  “It’s nothing about their nature, Sammy.  It’s all about nurture.  I met one a few centuries back, phenomenal artist who didn’t even know she _had_ an angelic dad.  She just thought she was “blessed” and unintentionally used her grace to grow the crops of what used to be a starving village because of passing thoughts.  Everything will be fine.  She was fine, and she didn't even have...something like us.”

Sam all but collapsed into Gabriel’s arms and held him close.  He nestled into his neck and breathed in his excitement right from the source.  But that brought about another question:

“You’re not mad?”

Gabriel grabbed the soapy washcloth that Sam had completely dropped from his lax hand, and picked up where he’d left off.  “Mad about what?  We knew it was a possibility.  Not like it’s a shock that fucking leads to conception.”

“But I figured the last thing you’d ever want was a pup.”  He grumbled out, because it was the truth.

“That’s what I thought, too.”  Gabriel was washing Sam’s side when he shrugged candidly, causing the omega to bounce with the movement.  He finished with, “But now that it’s done?  I think my mind’s changed drastically."

The omega slowly pulled away and looked at him with a furrowed brow, because he _needed_ confirmation in the worst way.  And Gabriel’s expressions rarely lied when it was just the two of them.  “So you really want this?”

“Yeah,” Gabriel confirmed and rolled his eyes.  “You can scent it, asshat.”  Then began scrubbing his mate’s chest.  “Which is why we gotta hurry up your shower and end this Apocalypse.  So I can tease you when you start to get fat without looking over my shoulder for incoming angels.   _And_ teach our pup how to pull pranks without worrying about Luci wiping China off the map.  Sound like a plan?”

Sam’s heart was light as a wide smile took over his entire freakin’ _being_ and he agreed.  But he also needed to rush out the, “I love you.  Thank you, I…don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be knocked up, but that’s not the issue now, is it?”  He winked lavishly and pushed Sam back under the spray.  “C’mon, let’s get moving.”

The omega agreed and when Gabriel disappeared, Sam quickly finished showering by himself.

\-----------------

When Sam eventually emerged from the bathroom, pulling his shirt on was a momentary distraction to block out the fact that there were _three_ , and _not two_ , people in the room with him.

In fact, the third had the guts to say, “Mm, look at that chiseled body, Gabriel.  I understand why you picked him for a mate,” in that annoying, sultry way.

Even though she was dressed completely differently and almost trying to dull down her attitude, Sam was already filled with anger and went for the nearest weapon.  But it wasn’t Gabriel who stopped him - it was Dean.

Which shocked Sam that much more.

“Woah, chill out, dude.  She’s here to help!”  The alpha was pleading with him and obstructing his route to Kali who sat casually on Dean’s bed.  “She’s gonna find Cas and bring him back to us!  Gabriel said he’s alive somewhere, he just doesn’t know where!”

“That’s convenient,” Sam narrowed his eyes with a pure, white-hot ferocity, but let Dean stop him.  “Good way to get on team.  Bring up Cas.  Wow!   _That_ was an easy in.”  Then he turned his attention to Gabriel, “You’re seriously all right with this?  She tried to kill you!”

“And _he_ saved me,” Kali had changed her tune and was now trying to placate the omega.  “Which is why I want to help.  I want vengeance for my fallen comrades.  Just let me assist you.  It looks like another hand wouldn’t hurt.”

“Or, wait for it - _ten_!”  Gabriel couldn’t help it, the joke was just waiting to be made.  “Anyway!  Get yer ass over here,” he waved his mate to the other bed (Sam's bed, _maybe_ their bed?) and flagged him to sit down.

And then, Sam noticed something that finally made him feel a bit calmer.  Gabriel’s mating mark was back on his neck, no longer hidden in the presence of a Pagan, and Sam raised his hand and brushed his fingertips over his own to see if he could feel the raised scar.

His alpha winked and confirmed, “It’s there, bucko.  We’re not hiding from anyone anymore.  I promise.”

All right, Sam decided, (maybe) he could do this.  Kali had been the antagonist, he didn’t hold any ill will against his mate, and their allies were in short supply these days…  If they had a chance at tracking down Cas?  This woman and her network would be for the best, too, since they had no leads at the current time.  Yeah, Sam _had_ to stuff his ill-will aside and do this.

Dean shuffled back to where he was sitting next to Kali, and Sam took Gabriel’s outstretched open palm when scooted him close.  They all were both sitting on the edge of the motel beds, facing each other, waiting.

“It’s game time!”  Gabriel rubbed his hands together and looked between their gathered team.  “So!  Normally, I would have some kind of awesome dramatic reveal for this attack plan instead of a lackluster story, but I’ll take what I can get-”

“Gabriel,” Sam groaned and elbowed his mate.  “I thought you said the sooner the better.”

“Right,” he nodded.  “Anyways, we can’t kill Lucifer.  Tangle with my brother didn't go well, and I was our only hope at that, so killing him is off the table.”

“Well then what the hell are we doing?!”  Dean burst out, only to be cut off with-

“But we can trap him!”  Gabriel was beginning to roam into that 'take no shit' category.  “The cage that Sammy sprung him from?  That’s still down there in Hell.  And we can stuff him back into the box.  Sexual innuendos aside, what we need to open the box is a key.”

“Okay, this is good news.”  Kali was listening, hanging on each word because her desire for vengeance was dire.  “Where is this key?  I can travel between worlds to find it, if you have the location.”

“Won’t be necessary.”  Gabriel jeered his thumbs at the brothers.  “If I remember correctly, you two already have half of it.”

Sam looked at his mate like he was crazy.  “Half of a key?  How does that make any sense?”

“It’s made up of the four Horsemen’s rings.  Collect all four, you’ve got yourself the set: which manifests _into_ the key.  This is something my brother doesn’t even know.  I remember you got Wars, I was there for Famine’s,” he not-so-subtly gestured to his own neck, “now you need to snag ’em from Pestilence and Death.  Ramble off an incantation, a portal opens up, shove Luci back down.  We make it home in time for Dancing With the Stars!  That‘s still on, right?”

There was a pause while Gabriel was holding his cheesy car salesman grin as they thought over the ramifications.

Kali spoke with genuine respect as she inquired, “You went up against two of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  And won?  I greatly underestimated you.”  After a bit more thought, she added, “Pestilence will be easy to track, although difficult to pin down.  I have no idea how you would find Death.”

“Yeah.”  Gabriel readily agreed, “Death is going to be the tough one.  Especially since Luci’s got him on that leash.”

“We can do this,” Sam eventually spoke up with wonderment.  “It doesn’t have to be like the angels said it does, it doesn’t have to end with the final title fight.  There _is_ another way - this _is_ our other way!”  He looked right at Dean with excitement, “We knew it!  Even when we were bullshitting, even when we were just being stubborn assholes, we knew being vessels wouldn’t be the end!”

While Dean didn’t reflect quite as much enthusiasm as Sam did, he shared his beliefs.  “Damn right!  I’m gonna call Bobby.  See if we can track this.  If Pestilence is out there, he’s gotta be leaving a trail like Famine did.  They’re running out of horsemen, we’ll find him!”

When the alpha hopped up, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and headed outside to place a call to the other hunter.

Now that it was just the three of them, Sam couldn’t help but demand of Kali, “Can you find Cas?  Or was that an easy way to win Dean over?”

“I can and _will_ find the seraph.”  Kali made her promise with earnest eyes.  She turned around to see Dean on still animatedly the phone outside the hotel window before she leaned in closer and stated, “I’m sorry I wronged you, Sam.  I truly mean it.  That meeting, everything that happened back at the hotel…things are very different now.  I acted impulsively and I was blinded by my own ego.  I’m not here to do anything but aid your cause.”  

With a soft smile that even Gabriel hadn’t witnessed, she told Sam, “I will keep your secret, too, but at least allow me to congratulate you.  I’ll fight for a place where you and Gabriel can raise your pup in peace.”  She glanced at the alpha before finishing, “If anyone deserves it, it’s Gabriel and his mate.”

Both were baffled by her words, but Sam could still get out a quick, “Uh, thank you, I think,” before Dean walked back into the room.

“Bobby says all he’s got on the radar is swine flu.  But it does look like there’s a trail.  Do we wanna pick it up?”  Dean asked, holding the receiver away from his mouth as he asked the group.

“Yeah, but in the morning,” Gabriel ordered, because now the alpha in him was also internally bitching to let Sam get some sleep.  His mate needed it, after tonight.

Dean nodded and turned his attention back to the phone, “Yeah, Bobby, put together a map of where this thing’s been and where it’s headed.  We’ll take off first thing.  Uh-huh.  Call you in the morning!”

When Dean hung up, he flipped his phone shut and sighed.  “Good call picking it up tomorrow, I feel like I’m gonna crash.”  He noticed Kali was still sitting on the edge of his bed and awkward stumbled through the words, “Uh, should we get you a room, now that you’re rollin’ with us, or-?”

Kali stood up and smiled, she had a strange fondness for his one already, and laughed.  “A Goddess doesn’t sleep, Dean.  I’m off to locate your angel.  I’ll return once I’ve found him.”  She winked and waved to the group, swinging her hips as she walked out the door.

Dean looked _so_ damn _hopeful_ at the concept of getting Cas back that Gabriel and Sam could smell it coming off him in waves.  That…longing.

“She’s good, Dean.  You’ll have my little bro back in no time.”  Gabriel whistled at the alpha.

But then, the archangel was at odds with himself.

He wanted to stay with his pregnant mate.

But it would be odd if he started spending the night when he never had in the past… should he begin making it the new normal?  Or, perhaps, he could wait until Dean was asleep?  He didn’t want to leave Sam.  In addition, he could feel Sam and the small pulse of the grace residing inside the pup now calling out to him.  Practically pleading with him, and it actually made Sam groan a little.

The pup had a mind of its own, all right, and self-preservation.  Once Gabriel had discovered it, when he had reached out and touched it with his own grace, the pup was reaching back.

And Gabriel had never felt anything so…amazing.

“Gabriel?”

The archangel turned around to see Sam staring at him and he smiled.  “Sorry, zone-out.  What?”

“Just saying we’re hitting the hay.  Will you…stay here?”

And that, plus those puppy eyes, were the perfect opening he was waiting for.

“I don’t care,” Dean announced, just to throw in his opinion.  “I get it, you guys almost died tonight and Sam doesn’t want you to flutter away.  So don’t be an ass.  Stay for him, okay?  Only…don’t bone, or whatever.  Get another room if someone can’t keep it in their pants,” he barked out and threw back the bedding, collapsing in his own bed.

The alpha may as well have fallen asleep when his head hit the pillow, and it didn’t come as a shock to anyone.  Today had been a fucking mess.

Sam pulled off his shirt and allowed himself to get comfortable, knowing he’d be protected as he moved over on the bed and made space for his mate.  He almost looked shy as Gabriel snapped himself into a pair of pajamas and crawled in next to him with a smirk, the omega climbing onto his chest.

He rested his head on Gabriel’s shoulder and couldn’t help but sink against the alpha’s body warmth, letting out a happy sigh.  Then, cautiously, he asked, “Is Dean asleep?”

“Out like a light.”  Gabriel confirmed and kissed the mess of hair under his chin.  “Something on your mind?”

“I can feel it now,” he admitted hesitantly.  “Ever since you…why is that?”

“’Cause I touched ‘em.  With my grace, I mean.  Wanted to do my own little check up, mostly because your dumbass had been drinking-”  He felt Sam’s body lock up with fear, so he alleviated it instantly with, “But it didn’t hurt ‘em.  Told you, they’re tough.  We’ve got a happy and healthy pup, Sammy.  Playful already, too.  Loved the feel of my grace.  That’s probably why you can feel it, too.  It likes being able to feel us together.  Can you feel it?”

“Yeah.”  He chuckled lightly, “That’s why I was wondering.”

“Is it weird?”

“No, it feels…good.  Like you said.  Happy,” the omega confirmed and dropped his hand to his stomach.

After a beat, Gabriel felt the urge to ask, “Are you?”

“In moments like this?”  Sam tilted his head up to meet Gabriel’s gaze, “Yeah.  Yeah, I am.”

“Perfect.”  The alpha cuffed Sam under the chin and kissed him, then softly said, “Sleep, you’ve earned it.  And I’m not going anywhere,” Gabriel promised, and couldn’t help dropping his hand to Sam’s stomach and feel the mischievous tendrils of grace brush against his palm the moment he did.  He didn’t know it was possible, but his feeling echoed Sam’s.  In moments like this?  Fuck it, he was over the moon, too.

\-------------------

Bobby had a trail ready and waiting for them, but no matter where they’d strike, they always seemed to be one step behind.  Even though they both had the feeling they were catching up, it was still infuriating.  They were nearly a month into their search for Pestilence when it happened…

Well, two things happened.

One, being Kali calling Dean up on his phone and giving them an address to come to along their route and saying she had a surprise for him.  The alpha lit up in ways Sam hadn’t seen in awhile, there was hope in him - rather than the brewing frustration that had been threatening to boil over at any given moment.

The second, was the demon named Crowley who was waiting outside the hotel Kali had given them the address to.

But before he could even launch into his spiel, Dean shoved past him and into the room.

Kali greeted them with a put-out, “Nosy demon outside apparently put a magical coin in the Impala to track you.  I took it when I went searching for your friend.  But he heard about us looking for the Horsemen and won’t leave,” she huffed in annoyance, hands on her hips, “which is _why_ I warded the room against demons.  But he’s stubborn.  Won’t leave the goddamn doorstep.  Anyway, lookie who I found,” she made a grand gesture to the bed.

Sam was leaning against the door as Dean all but jumped onto the mattress where Castiel was lying, propped up and weary.  He looked confused as Dean grabbed his face and demanded, “Cas, are you okay?  What happened?  Are you-”

“I had a hard time finding him because he’s lost practically all his grace, so there wasn't much to track,” Kali informed the Winchesters then admonished, “Jesus, Dean.  Give him some room to breathe!  Don’t smother and kill him after I spent all that time finding him for you!”

Dean seemed shaken by the news and pulled far enough away to give Cas his space.  “You lost it?”

He nodded simply and informed them, “I’m told after Van Nuys I appeared in poor shape on a shrimping boat off Delacroix.  Apparently, I upset the sailors.  Kali found me in a hospital in a coma.  She healed me enough so I would awaken and…here I am.”  He squinted at Dean and blurted, “I’m honestly happy to see you didn’t say yes to Michael.  I thought if family and the possibility of pursuing love wasn’t enough to keep you going, you were too far broken and beyond any of our help.  I’m glad to have been proved wrong.”

“Wow, thanks for _that_ , Cas,” Dean couldn’t help but laugh at the weak angel's overt directness and feel the joy of being here, with him.  Then, he couldn’t hold back the question, “Can I kiss you?"

Although timid, Castiel nodded with a, “I’d like that…”

There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation as the alpha closed the distance and showed Castiel just how much he’d missed him with his mouth.  It was sweet and tender but so full of overwhelming emotions because of all the shit he’d put the angel through.  The things that kept him up at night, the things he _knew_ he couldn’t take back, the things he needed to make amends for.  So Dean wanted to make them better.  He wanted a new start, because he couldn’t fix his mistakes.

When he pulled away, Dean found himself caught in curious blue eyes and pulled him into his arms.  Sure, he knew he had an audience, but he didn’t care.  Cas was so much more important than any of this right now.

Although, there _was_ one thing he cared about…

“Kali, do you think…Gabriel could heal him?”  Dean asked the woman while holding Cas tight.

She grinned from the scene in front of her, already getting to know the quirky little seraph and finding this love affair quite charming, but she explained, “I healed his wounds, but that’s not what you’re referring to, is it?”  Leaning into her hip, she glanced at Sam and shrugged, “I don’t know what angels can and can’t do.  It’s not exactly in my Pagan Goddess manual.  I knew Gabriel as Loki until recently, I knew _his_ power.  Why don’t you have Sammy call his mate down and find out?”

“I…” Sam paused shiftily and took in a deep breath.

It was right around that time that Castiel got his first look at the omega and his eyes widened, “ _Sam_?  How long-”

But Kali was quick to move and with the barest a flick of a wrist, his words died in his throat.  Apparently, she hadn’t informed him of the elephant in the room that was to be kept under wraps.  But if Castiel could see, that meant he still had grace in him and Gabriel could, indeed, possibly heal him.  But Gabriel also needed to tell him to shut up, which Sam included in his prayer to his mate.

When Gabriel appeared, the first thing out of his mouth was delivered with a scrunched nose, “Ew.  Stinks like sulfur.”

“Demon at the door,” Kali rolled her eyes.  “But he said he’s got a lead on Pestilence, so I didn’t kill him.  I got a little brother for you.  Needs a fresh, angelic paint job though.”

“Hey, hot stuff,” Gabriel pecked Sam’s cheek before he made a beeline for Castiel.  He shoved Dean over with the order of, “Gimmie some space,” before placing a hand over the silenced angel’s head and closing his eyes.  

He mumbled something to himself and withdrew, “Yer gonna need some time to knit yourself back together.”  After a clap on the cheek and a significant look, Gabriel said, “But you’ll live.  Which was the main goal, so there’s that.  I just jump-started the process, the other option would have been you regressing to a human.  Gross.”

“Hey!”  Dean sounded downright offended, but couldn’t help but be grateful that the archangel was there and helped him out.  Really, he was helping them all out, because while Dean may have a special bond with Cas - he was also a friend and a comrade to the others.  But something was still strange.

Castiel was watching Gabriel with eyes widened in disbelief, it had nothing to do with the restoration of part of his grace - and of course, Dean had to be the one to ask, “Cas?  Hey, what’s wrong?”

But the two angels were in the dead heat of a staring match.  Gabriel dared him to say something.  Because he’d firmly warned (complete with bodily harm) the bedridden alpha against it.  Castiel whipped around to stare at Sam before he settled on a response.

“N-nothing.  It’s just been a while.  I’m surprised at a lot of things.”  His voice held tones of disbelief, but he hadn’t outright said anything, which was good enough for the mated pair and their secret.  “I’m…glad to see everyone is accounted for.  And my…uh, _surprise_ lies with Kali assisting.”

Gabriel pushed away from the bed because the other alpha looked like he was moments away from tackling Cas anyway, so he gave them a large berth.  If Castiel hadn’t blabbed by now, the seraph must have had things under control.  

Kali shifted her weight onto the other heel, clearly uncomfortable when she asked, “What do you want to do about the demon?”

“We know him,” Sam muttered, disgruntled and sighed.  “He got us the Colt.  Even though it didn’t work on Lucifer, it was a good try.”  When Gabriel approached him, Sam asked in an even way, “You wanna take off?  I think we should talk with him.  He hates Lucifer just as much as we do, and if he knows we’re looking for the Horsemen, maybe he’s got a tip?  He‘s good for information, that‘s for sure.”

“As long as Kali hangs out, I’m okay with it,” the archangel offered a shrug and then pulled Sam at such an angle that the others couldn’t see.  He continued to say, “That’s Crowley, right?  King of the Crossroads?  I bet his intel is legit, you don’t get that high on the food chain by waiting for the position to open up,” all while he sneakily washed a hand over Sam’s stomach, causing a rush of grace to pulse over him and the pup.

Sam tried not to grunt and bite his lip, as he heard Gabriel’s voice in his head say, ‘Cas was freaking out when he saw it.  My guess is the demon could to.  Put up a stronger barrier, but we may have to tell Dean-o soon, you’re starting to show.’  And when Sam looked down there was a genuine smile on his face.

He leaned forward and whispered into Gabriel’s ear, “You’re such an alpha,” before pitching his voice over to the others and agreeing, “Yeah, we’ll let him in.  See what he’s got.”  He glanced one more time at his mate and tried not to sound too hopeful when he asked “See you soon?”

“You bet.  Adios, bitches!”  He waved and vacated the room.

Castiel was well enough to get out of the bed and not appear like an invalid when Sam stepped forward.  The omega proceeded to kneel and scratched the edge of deep red Devil's Trap with a knife, the one they'd painted at the door to keep things like Crowley out.  Dean hovered right next to Castiel, practically shoulder to shoulder, but Sam didn’t blame him.  Kali kept her distance but watched in amusement as the so-called ‘King’ entered in a huff and a spew of dramatics.

“Why the bloody hell did you keep me waiting?!  Do you _not_ recall myself being on Lucifer’s _most wanted list_ for helping you idiots out?!  And here I am!  Putting my neck on the line.   _Again_.  And you leave me on your doorstep out in plain view - for _what_?!”  He ranted and raved as he looked around the room, his face tinged red from his tantrum.

A beat of silence passed before Dean inquired, “Ya done yet?”

He narrowed his eyes into something menacing and crossed his arms.  “For now.  So I hear you’re looking for the Horsemen, correct?”  Crowley began pacing and spared at glance at each of the members spread out in the room.  “Pestilence has been tricky to track, hasn’t he?”  

The quiet was answer enough.  

“I happen to know a demon who works for him.  Now, if we get this demon?  He’ll lead us right to the big boss.”  Crowley pointedly stopped, feet shoulder width apart and asked, “Who’s with me?”

Strangely enough, Cas didn’t hesitate to volunteer, “Dean and I will go with you,” casting a side-eye to Sam.

It was the first time that the omega had felt slighted and his hackles rose.  He knew the seraph was deliberately treating him like a ’kept omega’ because he knew about the pup.  Gabriel had never done so, he’d let Sam dive into fights and do as much stupid shit as he wanted, and here _Castiel_ , of all people, was deciding he was too _fragile_ to go out to kidnap a simple demon?!

“Uh, no offense, Cas,” Sam tried not to sound spiteful, “but you just needed to be healed by a Pagan Goddess and then your grace needed to be stimulated by another angel.  Seems to me like you’re not in peak condition to go throwing yourself into any kind of mission.”

Dean reached out and squeezed Cas’ shoulder with a soft, “He’s right, you know.”

Castiel’s mouth opened and closed a few times before deciding, “Then it should be Kali and Dean.”

Finally, the alpha hunter was appearing suspicious, but it was the smarmy demon who said the words.

“No love for the Moose on this one?”  He raised an eyebrow, glancing over the others.  “ _I’d_ enjoy working with Kali, I haven't had the pleasure.  Something tells me she really knows how to get a job done.  And obviously I need a Winchester, so the latter works well for me.”  He practically purred at the woman in the room, “Does that sound good to you, darling?”

“If you’re serious about this demon, fine.”  Kali appraised him and shot her own glare at Castiel, because the idiot was going to give Sam’s secret away in no time.  “Sam, you watch over Wings and we’ll handle the snatch and grab.  Dean, get the Impala running.”  When he nodded and headed out of the room, Kali sauntered over to the omega hunter and wrapped an arm around his waist, dropping her voice to a silky, “Feel free to kick his ass.  I won’t tell your brother,” and then left to follow after the others.

When the door shut, Sam’s fists were clenched as he moved to lock it and looked for the paint to reseal the devil’s trap.  He tried to ignore Castiel for as long as he could, but the weight of his eyes on his back was too damn heavy.    
  
Finally, he snapped.  Sam whipped around to find the seraph sitting on the edge of the bed, blatantly staring, and even when Castiel was caught - he couldn't tear his gaze away.

“Do you have something to say to me?!”  The omega hissed and stomped towards him, “Come out and say it!  We’re alone now, you don’t have to bite your tongue any more!”

“N-no, Sam, I-” Castiel was completely taken aback by the intensity of the hunter, so much so that he shifted backwards onto the bed, clunking against the headboard, to put space between them.  “I was simply shocked.  It’s not everyday you see the marriage of grace and soul.  Well, I’ve never witnessed it or heard of anyone who has, it’s-” and looked for the correct words, “ _striking_.  Even without my grace, I could see, I can _feel_ , the vibrancy.”

“Wait, how?”  Sam’s brows knitted together in confusion, “Gabriel was supposed to be masking it, he-”

“I suppose he wanted me to know without words.”  There was a shrug and a press of lips.  “That’s the only thing I can think of.  I cannot see it now, if you are contemplating whether it worked or not.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter.  Whether you can see it or not.  Whether it’s there or not.  I’m not helpless!  You won’t treat me like I’m vulnerable or in need of protection!  I can look after myself and my pup!”  The omega was heated all over again.  “If you even _think_ about underestimating me or acting like I’m a burden again?  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in a ring of holy oil!”

Sam sharply turned his back because he need to catch his breath.

From behind, he could head an apologetic, “I’m…I’m sorry.  I truly am.  I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.  I’ve always been taught that the gift of life is precious and needs to be protected at all costs.”  Then a wry, “But you can handle yourself, I suppose,” followed.

With a scoff and a shake of his head, the omega grunted, “Yeah, I can.”

Both men hated the silence, but Castiel’s voice broke it with a hesitant, “Sam…may I ask you a question?”

It was the concern in his voice that piqued the omega’s attention, and he found himself saying fuck it, and collapsing to the bed across from Castiel.  “What?

Just as before, the angel took on that baby bird-like quality when it came to things he couldn't quite grasp.  Cas was all imploring bright blue eyes and his chin tilted while he examined Sam under a microscope.  His question was meant to be just another question but there was so much bafflement mixed in.

“What does Gabriel think?”

Sam did a double-take before snorting, “That I’m knocked up?”

“Yes,” he nodded carefully.

“He’s…happy.”  The omega admitted with the shrug of his shoulders.  “It kind of lit a fire under his ass to get Lucifer back in the cage.  The pup, it, uh, saved us both once from Lucifer, but we kind of made the promise - not to use their power ever again.  I want to raise it right, I _don’t_ want it to be a weapon.  I want to give our pup a normal… _as_ normal a life as he or she could get.  And Gabriel wants that, too.”

“It’s…fascinating.”  Castiel watched Sam in complete and utter awe.  “How you’ve transformed him.  How you’ve changed him.  I suppose love is truly the most powerful force of all.  Did the pup really…i-it saved you from _Lucifer_?”  As if he couldn’t look more mystified, it happened.

“Yeah.  It was a Hail Mary, I didn’t even know it would work, but Gabriel was going head to head against him, and I _couldn’t_ lose him,” Sam recalled, “and he told me that nephilim had unspeakable power, so I figured if I was there, if the pup thought it was in danger it would do _something_.”  The omega sighed, “And it did.  It was crazy - crazy enough to make Lucifer hightail it out of there, you know?”

“I do not understand.  Why _wouldn’t_ you harness and use this power?”  Castiel demanded in disbelief, leaning in on the bed, “There is no sure way we’ll get him back in the cage, but if you have this endless source at your fingertips-”

“This is _my pup_!”  Sam shouted, his hand unconsciously flying up to protect the small swell of his stomach.  “Fuck you, Cas!  Sure, it wasn’t planned, but this _is_ my future.  This is my future with _my mate_.  We’re gonna win the old fashion way, not by using a goddamn _unborn child_ to fight our battles for us!  What's wrong with you?!”

The seraph hung his head.  “I suppose I understand,” then he pulled back the covers on the bed and explained, “I am still quite exhausted.  I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Sam was left stewing, filled with frustration and built-up tension.  These were all the things that would have helped (he could have used the negativity as fuel) had he been out on this hunt.  But, _no_.  The seraph had screwed him over, gotten him grounded because he thought Sam needed kid gloves, and now it left him with a dark shadow of anger and annoyance looming.  He had to remember that Castiel wasn’t human, although he was beginning to understand things, he was still so far from fitting in, especially in situations like this; it hurt.

What could Sam do with this energy?  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, deciding to pull out his laptop and do some work.  Maybe he could narrow down some information on Pestilence to help out the others.  He needed to do something to feel _useful_ instead of wrathful.

After all, it wasn’t good for his pup - and that’s what he cared about more than anything.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t until Sam was in the shower and looked down that he realize the words Gabriel had planted in his head were true.

He really _was_ starting to show.

This was something that he’d put on the backburner, for the most part.  He didn’t have morning sickness, he didn’t have any cramping or normal early pregnancy symptoms and when he asked Gabriel about it he said it was because this was far from a normal pregnancy.  Hell, the only times Sam remembered he even was happened to be when he and his mate were curled up together and Gabriel was possessively holding his middle.

Other than that?  It barely registered.

He continued to hunt while they tracked down the demon who knew Pestilence, Gabriel kept his promise not to hover, and everything remained the same.  Except, he knew that it couldn’t continue for much longer.

Which was why Sam devised a plan to test the waters.

He stepped outside the motel room, letting Castiel get as much sleep as he could, and dialed the second most-called number in his phone history, next to his brother’s.

As it rang, he didn’t even worry about what Gabriel would think - he’d support him.  After it, it was Sam’s choice to keep the discovery under wraps.  It wasn’t like he was announcing it to the world, he was just-

“Sam?  You boys doin’ okay?”  Bobby answered the phone with the touch of concern that came with the abounding apocalypse.

“Yeah, actually.  Forgot to mention Kali managed to find Cas.  He’s been resting up now, he’d lost most of his grace when she found him but Gabriel sparked the angel battery or something and reset him.  So I guess he’ll be healing and have his halo back in no time,” Sam relayed the story then added, “Dean’s out with Kali following a lead that Crowley’s got.  First two didn't pan out, but they think this one's the winner.  Just left, so there’s not too much news on that front.”

“Bet Dean’s glad to have his angel back,” Bobby said dryly, but there was a bit of relief mixed in.  “What kinda lead we talkin’?”

“Some demon who works under Pestilence.”  Sam walked aimlessly over to a bench and sat down, “Must be high enough on the totem pole to be on Crowley’s radar, you know?  But he's been cautious.  This time, they'll catch him off guard.  I’m not too worried, if he tries anything Kali’ll literally light him on fire.”

Over the time that had passed, even though it was difficult, Sam had begun to see the benefits of working with a Pagan Goddess.  It was similar to working with angels in the fact that she was damn near impossible to kill.  She also had networks that none of the others had, ones Gabriel had been cut off from, and special talents that made her even more useful.  Ignoring the terrible first impression, Sam realized that Kali had his back in a strange way.  And she had filled the void of partner-in-crime that had been left blank when Castiel had left, especially when it came to Dean.

Well, in a _platonic_ sense.

Who knew what would happen, now that the angel was back.

But, most importantly, she kept things strictly business with Gabriel.

Drastically so.

Maybe it was because Sam wasn’t the cookie-cutter omega.  He wasn’t going to lie down and wait for his mate to give him an order.  He wasn’t going to be submissive, and he could posture with the best of them.  Kali knew it wasn’t just ‘hands off,’ it was ‘I’ll find a way to kill you, just watch me’ instead.

She respected that and gave him no reason to do so.

“So yer stuck babysitting the angel?”  Bobby asked blandly, “You bored, or you got somethin’ to tell me?  I know you didn’t just ring me up to chit-chat about what’s in progress.  Ya call when you get the job done.”

Of course,  Bobby would know.  He always knew.

“Um, I do have something to tell you, actually,” Sam admitted with a hefty breath in.  “I haven’t told Dean yet, I’m…taking it one person at a time, I guess.  And I figured you may handle it better than he would.”

“Okay,” the old alpha remained neutral, “yer not doin’ anything stupid like even thinkin’ about saying yes, are you?  Because if that’s where this is going, you’ve got another thing-”

“No, no, no,” the omega was quick to reassure him, then actually laughed out loud.  “Funny thing is, I couldn’t say yes even if I wanted to.”

There was a long pause before Bobby cautiously stated, “Now yer not even makin’ sense.  You drinkin‘ again?”

“Heh, this is harder than I thought,” Sam admitted and blew through his lips.  “Okay, here we go.  Gabriel and I…we’re, uh, having a pup.”

“Balls,” Bobby cursed into the phone, but then turned around and confessed, “’m happy for you, Sam, I really am.  But only if _you_ are.  You just gotta tell me you’re okay with this.”

“Yeah, yeah.  I am.  I mean, I wished we could have waited, obviously.  But when have any of us ever gotten lucky and what we wanted, right?”  With light laughter, he felt like part of that huge weight he’d been shouldering was gone.  “I didn’t even know for a while because I haven’t had, well, there weren't any problems or signs.  But Gabriel said that was normal.  Because it’s half angel, the grace is…like, taking care of me and protecting me because I’m taking care and protecting the pup?  It’s all really complicated but, there’s that.”

“Well, I'll be damned.”  The alpha’s voice seemed lighter, too.  “I knew you always wanted a family, son.  Never thought it’d be with a Trickster Archangel, but he’s done his share’a helpin’ us out.  God knows he’ll go to hell and back for you.  Now we just gotta kick this search up a notch.  How far along are you?”

“Over three months…” he winced as he admitted it.  “I figured it was…getting kind of obvious so I should start telling you guys.  Dean’s oblivious and I’m honestly scared of what he’s gonna say.”

“Boy don’t got a say.”  Bobby’s words were firm, but then he reprimanded, “Yer an idjit, shoulda told me sooner!  Hold the phone,” the man paused, “what did you mean earlier, couldn’t say yes if you wanted to?”

Sam pursed his lips before he explained, “It’s not just me anymore.  Sure, _I_ could say yes to Lucifer, but there’s another person here, now.  And the pup doesn’t have the ability to give consent.  I’m a locked box.”

“That’s _damn_ good news.  So you don’t get any ideas in that fool head’a yers.”

“Pup or not, I wouldn’t.  I’ve got a lot to live for, Bobby.  Even more, now.”  He found himself smiling and then honestly asked, “How should I tell Dean?  What do you think will be the way he’ll freak out, uh, the least?”

“Just tell ‘im point-blank.  Just the two’a you.  Gabriel’ll antagonize him.  Cas’ll distract him.  He’ll be happy for you, too.  If he ain’t?  He will be, once he gets his head outta his ass.”  Bobby sounded so sure and it gave Sam confidence.

“Thank you, Bobby.  As soon as he gets back I’ll tell him,” Sam decided immediately.  “Seriously…I needed this.  It feels good to say it.  To have someone know other than just Gabriel and Kali.”

“Hang in there, kid, you’ll get through it.  Call me if ya need me and tell me how that mission went,” Bobby ordered firmly.  “Get yer rest.  You’re fighting the apocalypse fer two.”

“Oh, God, that’s a new one.”  Sam rolled his eyes, “See ya, Bobby,” and hung up.

He was thrumming with a positive energy, knowing that his surrogate father approved and was actually _happy_ for him.  It was an amazing thing.  He couldn’t keep the grin off his face and Sam decided to stay outside in the weather a little bit longer.  He felt free and content in his moment and let his hand rest over the pup.

Sam could almost swear he felt the tiny life reach out and sweep against his hand, a warm touch, similar to Gabriel’s grace when it washed over him.  He couldn’t help but whisper sweetly, “We’re getting closer.  Soon, we’ll have the third ring, and then only one to go.  I promise, we’ll fix the world so it’s safe for you when you’re ready to come into it,” and that time, Sam _knew_ he could feel a pulse, like it was responding to him.

So he just sat there, cradling the pup and speaking to it with a hushed voice.  He never thought he’d be this blissful, but even he managed to prove himself wrong.

\-----------------------

When Sam gets the text: _“room 105_ ” from his brother, he was perplexed and cautious.

The room was on the other side of the motel, so he left Castiel to his usual coma of a sleep and slipped out the door, knowing the sigils and traps would keep the angel safe.  But before he could even make it around the corner, he nearly collided chest to chest with his mate.

“Woah!”  Gabriel reached out to steady him, but his whole demeanor was strangely serious as he made the move to grab Sam’s shoulder and ask, “How ya doing there, kiddo?”

“I’m…good.  I told Bobby.  He’s happy for us,” Sam beamed as he relayed the news, and he caught the beginning of a grin on Gabriel’s face.  “Why are you here?”

“Just- How about you hold on to that good feeling, okay?”  He said elusively, “That demon the crew kidnapped?  He’s got information.  He really _could_ lead us to Pestilence.”

“That’s great!”  The omega was excited by the news, but paused because Gabriel wasn’t returning his enthusiasm.  Not at all.  “What’s going on?  Why are you acting like this?”

With a sad smile and a shrug, the archangel simply gave a prelude.  “You’ll get it when you’re in there.  Kali sent me a message and wanted me to let you know you gotta keep your eye on the prize.  They’ve got faith in you and I do, too.  I’ll be there when you’re done with the interrogation, okay?”  He took one more step in and grazed his fingertips along Sam’s stomach, “Just keep it together.  For all three of us,” then pressed a kiss to his lips and vanished.

Sam didn’t like this.

He didn’t like this ominous bullshit at all.

So the omega picked up the pace and ran the rest of the way to room 105, pounding on the door which gave way to a hesitant Dean peering out.

“You talked to your boy toy, right?” he asked in a gruff tone.

“Yeah.”  Sam pushed his way inside, his eyes darted to the demon tied up in the middle of the room, surrounded in a devil’s trap with a bag over his head.  Kali and Crowley flanked him on the outside edges like guard dogs.  “Now can we get past all this bullshit and-”

The words died on his tongue when the demon was revealed, bag having been ripped away.  Sam didn’t even hear the door shutting behind him when he was faced with none other than his best friend in college: Tyson Brady.

Holy shit.

“Sammy!”  The demon looked elated to see him, “Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Y-you…” his mouth was dropped in shock.  “How long?  How long have you-?”

“Oh, you remember Thanksgiving break.  And your pathetic attempt at trying to save me afterwards,” a twisted smirk contorted Brady’s features as he watched the sheer disbelief on the omega’s face.  “You tried so damn hard, though.  Gold star for effort!”

“When you went off the rails…” Sam realized all at once, that must have been when this son of a bitch possessed him.  ”You took my friend!  He was smart, a great guy, he was on the right track, pre-med…and then you dumped him into partying, drinking, and drugs!  You _ruined_ him!”

“And you kept fighting the good fight.  And I kept coming back, making you think that you could fix me.  After all,” there was a glint in his eye, “Azazel wanted me to keep a close eye on you.  And you always wanted to save people, Sam.  Too bad you ended up doing more bad than good in the end.  So much bad…you had to run away.  All over again.  I get it, it's what you do best.”

As if the first realization wasn’t enough, the second one hit him like a freight train.

“You… _you_ introduced me to Jess!”  Sam’s eyes were so wide with anger he could feel the close sting of tears.  “Was that a part of your plan?!”  He started advancing on him and Dean grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

“See!  Still sharp as a tack!  I would applaud you, but…my hands are tied,” he sneered.  “That night?  It was so easy!  Knock on the door, pretty little Jess lets me in with a smile, then gets so confused when I stabbed her in the gut.”  He licked his lips.  “I hope you enjoyed the fireworks on the ceiling, I know I had fun lighting ‘em off.  Had to get you back into hunting, back to Azazel, somehow.  I’d say I did a fantastic job!”

The omega was fighting against his brother, struggling and throwing elbows trying to get at Brady, to rip that smirk off his face - to rip his goddamn face completely off-

“You fucking piece of shit!  I _trusted you_ , I-!”

“ _Sammy_.  Sam!”  Dean had to use all of his alpha strength to muscle Sam into the bathroom and slam the door.

Although the room was small, it was away from the demon.  Dean slapped the lid on the toilet seat before shoving his younger brother down right behind it.  He knelt in front of the omega and grabbed his face, but Sam was somewhere else.  He’d completely broken through his blockers and his scent was vengeful fury.  It was unbridled hatred and tangy violence, the need for blood.

“Sam,” the alpha ordered, forcing his brother’s attention.  “You need to chill out.  Take a deep breath.  Remember: Pestilence.   _That’s_ our end game.  He’s got ‘em, we _need_ ‘em.  I could have kept you in the dark, could have just left you in that motel room with Cas, but I wanted to bring you in.  ‘Cause I’ve got faith in you.  Don’t let me down.”

The omega’s breath was racing, it was out of control, and he knew he needed to calm down.  But…after all that, how could he?  The demon had taken away his best fucking friend.  Had murdered his first love.  He had led him on a crash-course to yellow-eyes, just like so many other parts of his life had been fucked with and manipulated.  Brady was the fucking first.

Sam could hear Kali and Crowley speaking about Brady in the main room, and then once he heard the clicking of heels and the two conversing - they were leaving the motel room - he _knew_ what he had to do.

So Sam moved fast, sucker-punching Dean and knocking him into the shower, his limbs tangled in the fallen curtain.  Sam escaped the bathroom and grabbed the chair he knew was the perfect height for jamming against the handle and locking Dean inside.

Sam instantly looked for Ruby’s knife and found it setting out on the table, along with salt, holy water, and all the instruments to torture the information out of the demon.  But the omega didn’t want torture - as he listened to his brother’s screams and pleas from inside the bathroom walls - he wanted to carve out his revenge.

He wanted justice.

\-----------------------

Dean’s heart was in his throat by the time everything went silent.

Up until then, there was screaming - horrible, wretched screams.

More specifically; Brady’s screams of bloody murder.

It was the eerie echo of nothing that gave Dean that final burst of adrenaline he need to kick through the door and break it down.  When the wood crumbled, he turned to the side and saw Sam hunched over on the remaining chair, head hung and knuckles split, and covered in the other man‘s blood.  But when he looked at Brady - his head was lulling from side to side.

But…he was still alive.

“Thank God,” Dean blurted all at once, wiping a hand down his face.

Sam’s voice was dejected when he admitted, “We need him.”

“Yeah, we do.”

“We need this to be over.”  He looked up at his brother, eyes glistening with unshed tears as he stood up and gestured for him to follow as he finished, “More than ever.”

With a glance that confirmed Brady wasn’t going anywhere fast, Dean walked through the open door Sam had left for him, and followed him around the corner to the ice machine.  They were completely alone when Dean finally asked the question.

“What made you stop?”

With a crooked grin, Sam didn’t answer with words, but he reached out and took the alpha’s hand.  Dean was confused but relaxed his limb to let his brother do with it what he may.  The very last thing he was expecting was to find his palm against Sam’s stomach.    
  
His rounded, swollen stomach.

Dean’s jaw dropped open and he couldn’t tear his eyes away because…was this for real?  Was he feeling what he thought he was-

Was Sam-?

The omega was surprised Dean didn’t jerk away like he was burned, if anything he shifted his hand to cup his stomach properly and only then looked up at Sam, eyes full of wonderment.  “How long?”

“Did I know?”  Sam huffed and shook his head, “Since the showdown with Lucifer.  But…we’re pretty positive it happened when Famine was in town.  Crazy heat plus mating hormones?  Kinda a sure-fire recipe for a pup.”  Then with trepidation, he asked, “You’re not mad?”

“No, _God_ , no,” Dean shook his head fiercely and had yet to remove his hand.  “Hell, if this little guy was what held you back from killing the evil fucker in there?  I’d say it’s more angel than you think.”  Finally, after a small smile, Dean realized how long he’d been lingering at Sam’s middle and shyly pulled away.  “Holy hell, I’m gonna be an uncle!”

“You are,” Sam nodded in confirmation.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I was still trying to figure out how to handle it myself.  Shockingly enough, Gabriel took it better than I did from day one.  I just…didn’t want anyone treating me differently.”

“Oh.”  Then, the alpha had an epiphany, “ _That’s_ why Cas was acting all creepy before.  He didn’t want you to hurt the pup.”

“ _Nothing_ can hurt the pup, trust me.”  The omega rolled his eyes.  “It’s a nephil, Dean.  They’re warheads.  I’m fine.  We’ve gotta end all this.  So I can raise my pup to _not_ be a nuke…to be normal.  Which is why,” he sighed deeply, “we can’t kill Brady.  Yet.”

“Got it.  Good.”  Dean’s words were soft around the edges and there were hints of mild happiness mixed with his scent.

But nothing about Sam felt joyous.  He felt the itch, the need to have that blade in his hand, to slit Brady’s throat.

And when Kali, Crowley and Brady appeared around the corner, ordering, “Get in the car!” Sam had to fight the urge to keep his fist from colliding with that face.

Yet, when Kali ordered something, they didn’t hesitate: they fucking _moved_.

Except for Dean demanding, “What about Cas?!” from behind the wheel as they all tumbled inside the Impala.

“He’s warded and the demons don‘t know about him!”  The woman snapped and Dean peeled out of the parking lot, “We’ve got Hellhounds on our asses!  Pray to Ga-” she stopped just in time, knowing the archangel wouldn’t want either demons knowing he was around.  “We’ll pray he finds us when we put distance between us and them.”

Sam kept eyeing the three in the back and had to control himself, because nothing could truly hold back all the fury that was still lingering inside him.  “What happened?”

“I spread a little rumor,” Crowley announced with triumph.  “Killed a nest of demons, let one escape.  Mentioned that Brady, here, is my lover in league against Satan.  So he moved right up top on the Most Wanted list with me.  Nothing else to fight for, hmm?”  He taunted the man sandwiched in the middle.  “So how about you tell us all about the Horseman?”

The omega could see the raw and bitter defeat in the demon’s eyes and that, at least, made a small part of him feel better.  The information was another steps towards recovering.  And after they no longer needed him and Dean handed him the knife?  Murdering the demon was the vindication he needed, but he still had a bad taste in his mouth.

Sam just didn’t know how to make it go away.

\---------------------

They had a long drive ahead of them to get to Iowa, so they decided one good night’s sleep was in the cards.  Gabriel had scooped up Castiel as well as their belongings from where they’d left the Hellhounds and dropped them off to set up camp.

Kali didn’t need sleep and now that they were onto something big, she kept watch.  She knew the Winchesters would need all the rest they could get, because they were in the home stretch and their normal hair-trigger sleep cycle just wouldn’t do tonight.  Knowing that a Goddess was protecting them made all the difference.

There was also the fact that with Castiel back and slowly regaining his strength, Dean continuously watched him with the biggest puppy eyes in the world.

It led Sam to blandly suggest, “Should we get two rooms?”

In all honesty, the way Dean fumbled over his words just to land on the answer ‘yes’ was a joke, but Sam simply rolled his eyes.  When they went to the desk Sam easily booked two kings instead of their usual.  The omega wouldn’t mind the privacy, anyway.  He hoped Gabriel would keep his promise, that he would be there for him after what happened…because he still felt sick.

When Sam entered the large room, he dumped his duffle bag on one of the cushioned chairs, showered in a daze and, as soon as he walked back out, he saw his mate stretched out on the king mattress.  Waiting for him.

Sam didn’t say anything, he crawled up the length of the bed, only clad in the towel and tossed it aside.  He hovered over Gabriel completely naked and grabbed fistfuls of his jacket.  Sam tugged at the leather, needing it gone, while he kissed him with a brutal intensity.  Luckily, the alpha understood and sat up, shucking off the jacket and letting Sam peel away his shirt, barely letting their lips disconnect.

Except, when Sam made the move to get rid of Gabriel’s pants, he growled out, “Why aren’t you hard?” and yanked at the button with so much force it nearly tore the zipper.

That’s when Gabriel stopped him and pulled Sam upward and into his lap.  “Talk to me.  I need to make sure you’re all right, kiddo.”

“I’ll be all right,” he made a move to snake his hand down under Gabriel’s boxers, “when you’re fucking me,” but the archangel grabbed his wrist.

“Hey.”  He lifted it up and kissed the inside of Sam’s palm, promising, “I got no problem with that.  But do you know what you smell like?  Frustration.  Wrath.  Hate.  And, yeah, I expected that.  Which is why you ain’t running the show.  Because you don’t know what you want or what’s gonna make it better.”

Sam narrowed his eyes and snarled out, “You’re _not_ going to baby me.  I don’t want any of this soft, sweet, love-making shit right now, I-”

“Oh, I know, trust me,” there was that glimmer in his eyes that Sam knew all too well.  “But you need to let go.  What happened today is over and behind us.  Leave it there.  Can you do that?”

But he didn’t know if he could, Sam was wound too tight, he was twisted up - a spring about to burst out.  There were just too many things and feelings, and he wanted them gone.  He wanted Gabriel to make them go away.  But his mate wasn’t helping, dammit!  Not with this stupid romantic bullshit.

“Sammy.”  Oh, but now it was dangerous.  His voice was sharp and the edge of it could cut like a knife.

It forced the omega’s attention as Gabriel reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him in so there was nothing to focus on besides the archangel’s eyes.

“Can you be a good omega?”  The rewording helped, it began to take him some place else and his tone _demanded_ obedience.

“Yes,” Sam answered on a shaky exhale, “I can.”

“See?  That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”  That was rhetorical and Gabriel used his grip to haul Sam onto the side of the bed.

From there, he just stared at him, his eyes taking in every inch of his naked mate - beads of water still littering the expanse of flesh from where he hadn’t fully dried off.  His free hand naturally reached up and cupped Sam’s swollen middle while he mused, “So beautiful.  I can’t wait to see how our pup grows inside you.”  He clucked his tongue.  “Could get addicted.  What would you do if I wanted to breed you again and again?  What if I wanted a litter, Sammy?”

His words made the omega whimper because of his stupid biological wiring.  The press of Gabriel’s hands, the words coming from his mouth.  His hole was leaking, almost like an invitation of his body saying yes, even though the words wouldn’t come out.  The alpha’s nostrils flared and he could pick up on the scent the moment it hit the air.

“I think you like that.”  Gabriel ducked down and covered his mouth around the scarred teeth imprints, making Sam moan loudly.  When he pulled away, he wore a shark like grin, “Your body’s practically _begging_ for it.  And I haven’t even touched you.  My perfect little tamed omega.  My gorgeous, wet, needy mate.”

Sam couldn’t take it anymore and he finally threw out the challenge, “Then prove it.  I need you.”

Because he did.  

He needed Gabriel in every way, and _now_.  

Even before the alpha made his cock pulse with arousal, he needed him to make the pain go away, he needed Gabriel to assure him everything would be all right because they had each other and, Gabriel said it - now “the three of them.”

With an unimpressed eyebrow and the scent of pure unbridled power, Sam realized Gabriel wasn’t joking when he agreed Sam’s talk of ‘soft, sweet, love-making’ was the last thing he needed.  

He wasn’t going to be soft or sweet, he was going to give Sam the outlet that he needed, and the omega knew it the second his voice coolly taunted, “Such rude behavior, Sammy.  Next time you’re disrespectful, maybe I’ll punish you.”  Then he released Sam’s neck with a rough shove and ordered, “Present.”

There was more alpha strength and presence in Gabriel’s voice than he’d ever used before.  It had Sam scrambling to follow the order, ducking his head down into the mattress and sticking his ass up in the air.  He held the position and waited.

There was a shift as Gabriel moved on the bed and the electric touch of his mate’s finger running the entire length of his spine until it reached his hole, and shoved all the way in.  Sam tried to hold still, unsure of what the archangel wanted from him, but the feeling of even a single digit being inside was a relief.  He twisted and curled it before pulling it out, and Sam held his tongue.

Even though it was so fucking difficult.

“Now you’re being well-behaved?  This is usually where you get mouthy,” Gabriel unexpectedly sunk his teeth into one of Sam’s ass cheeks, which caused him to yelp.  “You don’t have anything to say?”

Was this a test?  Sam had no idea.  He was shaking from anticipation and the scent of Gabriel’s arousal was driving him crazy.

So he said screw it.  He could take any punishment his mate decided to dole out if he made the wrong choice.

“I’ve let go,” he managed to choke out, “are you hard yet?”

Gabriel chuckled darkly, “We’re always about the deals and ultimatums, aren’t we?”  Then Sam gasped loudly, feeling the head of his alpha’s cock pushing right past his tight, puckered hole and it continued, Gabriel quipping, “Am I hard, Sam?”

“Fuck, yes!”  The omega cried out, being taken off guard and too tense for Gabriel’s size.

It hurt, but in the way it made him feel alive.  Gabriel must have known, because a hot wash of grace didn’t soothe the burn but it made Sam’s body relax a little.  He was still clenching tightly around his alpha’s cock, but the slick helped ease him into bottoming out.  Sam had to fight to catch his breath - he had to fight like hell.

And Gabriel had the nerve to drape himself over his mate’s body and taunt in a sing-song voice, “Be careful what you wish for.”  Straightening his spine, the archangel began to pump in and out of Sam’s body to work him open instead of waiting for him to adjust.  Unlike other times, he reached and fisted Sam’s cock, jerking him in time with his thrusts.  

“Holy hell, it’s like you were built for my cock,” Gabriel moaned as he started escalating his momentum and worked countless moans out of Sam - then dropped his dick for a better hold on the omega’s hips.  “Tell me how it feels.”

“Hurts so good,” Sam gushed and rocked his hips back into Gabriel when the alpha found his sweet spot, shouting, “There!”

“Mm,” he practically purred and never lost track of that angle, thrusting and snapping his hips until Sam couldn’t think straight.  But he pressed further, “How many loads does my pretty mate want?”

Sam swung his hips wantonly and finally looked back, their eyes meeting for the first time and the air caught fire between them.  Gabriel mouth went dry to see how close and scent-drunk his mate was and he doubled his efforts to get him off, because he could feel the swell of his own knot and wanted to please his mate more than anything.

But Gabriel wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily, and he commanded again, “How many, omega?” the words punched out in time with every plunge.

Sam couldn’t form words, because the brutal attack on his prostate had him in the throes of orgasm, nearly tearing the pillow with his teeth.  The grip around Gabriel’s cock had his knot swelling and bursting, but he never let up.

Even as he filled his mate with cum, he wanted to fuck it deeper into Sam’s body, he wanted to give his mate what he needed which was carnal physicality.  

And the omega eagerly responded to it.  He was nodding encouraging and moaning out, “More-” with a broken voice.

Gabriel never lost steam, he dug his fingers into Sam and gripped him tighter, his knot sensitive and still on a hair-trigger each time it brushed and rubbed where they were tied together.  And Sam’s begging?  It was beautiful.

It didn’t take long for the alpha to spill inside his mate again.

Sam was gasping and pulled himself inward, and at that point Gabriel knew he couldn’t push anymore - he was aware, even though his head was spinning in the euphoric rush.   Gabriel’s protective instincts kicked in and he grabbed hold of Sam then rolled them over to lay on their sides.

He knew the omega was fit to burst, having skipped all foreplay because it was what Sam needed at the time, so Gabriel used his grace to soften any blows.  He didn’t take away sensation, he took away black and white pain.  And fuck if Sam shoved away any ‘mushy’ feelings, Gabriel wanted to feel their pup so he didn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around Sam’s waist and cradle the bump.

Sam was still off somewhere else, anyway.  He was still coming down from his high, and when he eventually did the first words out of his mouth were, “Fuck.  I don’t know if I can feel my legs.”

With a chuckle, Gabriel nuzzled against him and unapologetically stated, “You asked for it.”

“I did,” he sighed and then craned his neck back, “I needed that.  Thank you.  For getting it.  Understanding.”

“Mmhm,” the archangel hummed and kissed his mate’s lips.  “Told you I was here for you.”

“I know.  I should have believed you,” Sam admitted and relaxed in the warm arms then tangled their legs together.  “I guess when I think about relationships…the norm for people is handling bad days with bullshit optimisms and sweet nothings.  But then I remembered who _you_ were.”

“Yeah.  I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty if it’s what you need.”  He shrugged it off, but Sam wanted him to know what it meant to him.

“I’m serious, Gabe.  You…got me out of a bad place and then let me get lost in a good one.  But not in the wrong way.  I can’t explain it.”  The omega was frustrated with himself, because he was usually better with words but they were failing him.  He ended up stating, “You know, you really _are_ my true mate.”

“Shucks,” Gabriel kisses his shoulder blade and quickly amended, “I didn’t mean that to be an asshole.  I’m not good at this kind of thing.  You already know that.”  His thumb absently stroked over the pup, as he pondered, “I agree though.  I’d be blind not to…since that’s the only way nephilim can be conceived.”

Sam did a double-take, unsure if he had heard the alpha right.  “What?  You’re just telling me this _now_?”

“Yep.”  He had no shame when he informed him, “Don’t you think power-hungry idiots would be making them left and right, just for their strength?  To tap into their energy?  Can’t be done. That’s why they’re so rare, like I said.  Because _true mates_ are so rare, let alone human and angel true mates.”

“Wow.  That…” Sam swallowed hard, “makes a lot of sense.  That’s really heavy, though.”

“Kind of why I didn’t mention it until now.  Obviously, relationships are new to me in general.  I never know what I should be saying or not saying, and when.  So I’ll just blurt out things at random, I guess,” he snickered to himself.  “How did you tame this beast, Winchester?”

“I didn’t,” he quipped back right away.  “You couldn’t keep your damn hands off me."

“Touche.”  Gabriel hadn’t even realized his restless hand still hadn’t stopped moving, but he kind of loved feeling the light and grace under his palm.  “Tomorrow.”

“What?”  Sam was confused.

The archangel scented him and brushed his lips over the mark, “Tomorrow we get the next ring.  Three fourths done.  I want to get a move on with this.  Death’s gonna be tricky enough to track.”  Then he got to the point and confessed, “I want to get a chance to spoil your preggo ass just a little before we have the pipsqueak.  You’re starting to get fat and I find it ridiculously adorable.”

Sam outright laughed and could barely school his voice into an annoyed, “Don’t call me fat.  And I told Dean today, too.  You’re right, I won’t be able to hide it much longer so I bit the bullet.  We don’t have to talk in code anymore.  But if Cas treats me like an invalid again?  I’m dead serious about an angel blade to the chest.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll defend your honor.”  Gabriel huffed and shook his head, “That little seraph can be such a buzzkill, can’t he?”  Then the alpha took things in a different direction and sternly said, “Hey, we’ve gotta big day tomorrow.  Get your sweet ass to sleep, okay?”

“Will you stay?”

Sam didn’t know why he begged so openly and without pause, but he didn’t want to be alone.  Especially after what happened.  And Gabriel didn’t seem to mind last time he spent the night.

“I can do that.”  His voice was soft and full of warmth, that special tone that only Sam had the privilege of hearing.  “But only if you hush your face and close yer eyes now.”  Or not.  Now he was just being obnoxious.

Still, both sides of the coin, Sam had equal love for and he followed instructions with a grin.  They didn’t even have to say the “L” word to each other because it was all in the way they were holding one another.  The way their bodies fit together.  It was in Gabriel's soft touch and gentle caresses.  And the small life being held by both with so much care and affection.

This, right here, was the strongest incentive for saving the world.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I did NOT intend to take a mini-hiatus so quickly! I didn't have internet access one week, and then the next week was my posting date for the Team Free Will Big Bang (shameless plug: [Vitae, Mortem, Essentia](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11803785/chapters/26626695) has got lots of Sabriel-goodness if you'd like to check it out!) and that took up the my entire Wednesday. BUT! We're right back on track :) I'll cross my fingers there aren't anymore delays and I'm completely planning on sticking to my Wednesday updates! 
> 
> Now back to our regularly scheduled plot and smut with a nice, long chapter! xoxo

During the night, it appeared that Kali and Gabriel had a chat because the three sleeping men woke up in different accommodations all over again.  Having insanely powered-up allies made for speedy and odd transport, that was for sure.  This time everyone was rising with the dawn, tucked in and sharing the same room with the Impala safely parked outside.    
  
In freaking Iowa.     
  
The archangel wasn’t joking around about today being the day, it was too damn serious for his normal jest, and it looked like he wanted to hurry things along.  If the obvious angel-mojo teleporting wasn’t indicator enough.

Apparently, the events of the night before had given him a kick in the ass, because they didn’t need to make the drive - they were already within distance of Serenity Valley Convalescents Home, right here in Davenport.

Precisely where Brady had instructed them Pestilence was hiding out.

“Well, thanks for the ride, guys,” Dean had announced as he got his things together, digging through the truck.  “I think we can handle it from here.”

Gabriel cast a long glance at Sam and chewed his lip.

And the omega recognized it, which made him frown right away.  And now that the others knew?  He didn’t have to hold back any longer.  He didn’t have to censor himself and that felt pretty damn liberating.

“Stop it.”  He pointed a direct finger at his mate.  “You haven’t given me any shit so far, don’t you dare start now.  Me and the pup will be fine.  Remember what I said about Cas?”

“What did you say about me?”  Castiel asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“Oh, nothing much,” the archangel flashed a mischievous grin.  “Only that if you gave him any shit, he’d give you an angel blade through the chest.”

“Hey!”  Dean snapped in his (possible boyfriend's?) defense, “We just got him back!  Don‘t go killin' him off already!”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Dean,” Cas actually rolled his eyes with a patronizing tone.  “But can you honestly tell me that now you’re aware, you aren’t having your own doubts about Sam and his ability on the battlefield?”

“Doubts?  _Hell_ no!  He’s as capable as he’s ever been!” the alpha countered, but then leaned against the open trunk and begrudgingly admitted, “Worried for two?  Sure.  But Sam’s still Sam.  That doesn’t change.”

“You’re all idiots,” Kali announced without preamble.  She fearlessly sneered at every last one of the men.  “The pup makes Sam stronger if he channels it, didn’t any of you pay attention in Vacation Bible School?  He’s strong than you,” she pointed at Dean, “most _definitely_ you,” then Castiel, “not to mention, he’s smarter than you,” she finished with a manicured finger prodding into Gabriel’s shoulder.  “Am I the only one with a brain?  Jesus!  Now, who’s the team that’s going in?  The place will be crawling with demons.  I know Gabriel is probably out.  Still our secret weapon.  Is Baby Wings still in recovery?”

“I’m going.”  Castiel said with conviction, “I’ve been useless for too long.  I wish to help.”

Both Winchesters glanced at one another as they mulled it over.  Both were worried about Cas' conditions for different reasons, wondering if he'd be more of an asset or a hindrance.  Who knew how quickly angels got their groove back?  How much of a difference Gabriel's help had made, with the image of Castiel's gaunt, bedridden image still fresh in their minds.  It was a gamble...

Kali groaned and made the executive decision, “I’ll watch the outside and take care of any demons there.  You three go in and handle him.  I’m assuming since you already took out two horsemen you know what you’re doing.  Now, get your asses moving.  I’ll meet you.”  And with a swishing noise, she had vanished.

“You heard the woman.”  Gabriel nodded them on.  “Remember-”

“Pray if we run into any trouble,” Sam interrupted him before he could finish and headed to the passenger’s side.  “I got it, Gabriel.  We’ll meet back up once we have the ring.”

“Okay.”  Instead of slumped, dejected shoulders he met Sam’s sass with a snort and fluttered away himself.

“Damn, you guys are quite the couple,” Dean grumbled as he slammed the truck and took out the keys.  “You heard ‘im.  Let’s head out.”

\-------------------

When they arrived at the medical center, they met up with Kali by the entrance and she told them she was watching carefully to make sure no one got in and no one left.  There didn’t seem to be any demons on the grounds but she could sense them inside.  Castiel took the back entrance and the Winchesters took a side door, rather than waltzing through the front.

While they were walking, something strange happened that Sam hadn’t felt before when they passed one of the nurses.

She didn’t give them a second glance, so Sam filed it away for later.  Once made it past security, by KO’ing one of the guards - of course, they locked themselves into the surveillance room.  Now the feed that ran throughout the center was at their fingertips, but the omega couldn't stand the itch anymore.  It lingered like a bad feeling.  
  
They were studying the videos but Sam grabbed Dean’s shoulder and blurted out, “The pup…when we were passing that beta nurse, it, like…kicked.  Well, not kicked, but it moved.  I don’t know if it meant something or-”

Dean stared at him like he’s grown another head, but hesitated with his lips pursed as he glanced at the screens.  “You don’t think it has, like, a detector built in with ‘em?”

“What do you mean?” Sam hesitated to ask, wary because maybe he didn't want to know the answer.  It was all due to his obsession, wanting the pup to be normal.  The way this was heading was far from normal.

The alpha heaved a breath and said, “Well, Kali hinted if you ‘channeled it’ or whatever, it gives you strength?  What if it felt there was danger?  What if that nurse was a demon?”

“Then why didn’t she attack us?”  The omega was slow to inquire, prolonging the inevitable.  “Wait!  That’s her!”  He snapped his fingers at one of the screens the moment she entered the frame.

The woman was speaking with a doctor at the medical center, they could tell by the lab coat.  However, the moment he turned to face the camera head-on...his image was somehow blown out and eerily distorted.  All the other security cameras were working, so it wasn’t a digital malfunction.  Hell, the damn nurse was as crisp and clear as day on the same screen!  Both brothers had their sixth sense kicking in, even without sound the situation playing out before them became more obvious by the second, even though the doctor on the screen was hidden behind the tremor-like glitch.

Soon all the puzzle pieces fit together.

Dean’s voice was just above a whisper.  “She didn’t attack us because she was reporting back to Pestilence.  Fuck!  We need to get to him before he gets to us!  What room is that?!”

They zeroed in the location labeled on the monitor and flew out of the security station towards the hallway.  This wasn't good!  The plan was to have the element of surprise and their side, and they'd already lost it!

Except the closer and closer they got, their bodies began to turn against them.  Nothing about it made sense, it came on so slowly and escalated before either of them knew what was even happening!

A dizziness crept up behind their eyes, right before became overwhelming - hitting both men like a tsunami and their vision blurred in and out like a strobe-light was fixed on the ceiling.  It was hard to see where they were walking, let alone ignore the sick feeling that surged through them.  Hell, their senses were firing in all different directions besides the correct one.  Sam could feel his limbs growing heavier and his stomach as it flipped, a nausea also tickled the back of his throat and made him dry-heave.  Even without proper sight, Sam searched wildly for a wall - _anything_ \- to brace himself against because he was going to puke!

“D-Dean?” he looked over and his brother had already crashed to his knees.

“Fuck!”  The alpha cursed and couldn’t even hold himself up, his head slammed down on the linoleum floor with such force that it bounced.

Only a step later, Sam stumbled from the pull of gravity and his crawl felt like he was struggling through molasses.  He couldn’t think straight, he couldn’t do anything, his brain was so scrambled and jumbled from agony or else he would have called for Gabriel -

But the blackness on the edge of his vision began taking over, and he past out within seconds.

\-----------------

“Sam and Dean Winchester.  How are you boys feeling?  Can’t be too well.”

It was a voice that woke the men, a cheerful and deliberate one, filling an unfamiliar room.  And, holy fucking hell, did it hurt to open their eyes.  The brightness of the fluorescent lights made everything throb something awful, and when Sam looked, the only color his vision could process was the vibrant red that dripped from Dean’s mouth down his chin.  Now that he saw that, he could taste the metallic tang of blood from his own.

Sam’s head weighed a million pounds as he shifted it and turned towards the source of the sound.  It was the doctor.  They had been right, they were useless and honestly falling apart in front of Pestilence, as he sat with his legs crossed, simply viewing them.  Like animals in a fucking zoo exhibit.

“Maybe it’s the Scarlet Fever that's got you feeling under the weather.  Meningitis?  Oo, or the syphilis!  Oh, I threw in something extra special for you, Sam.  Something that inevitably leads to a miscarriage!”  The Horseman winked and the words sent a wave of pure terror through the omega’s spine.  “And it’s all about to get so much worse.  Any questions?  I don't suppose you can speak much, given the circumstance.”

Pestilence uncrossed and recrossed his legs, and that’s when Sam could feel a terrible, terrible pain lower in his gut -  _where the pup was -_  and true horror filled him to the brim. 

No, _no, no!_   He wouldn’t…he _couldn’t_ lose his pup-!

“You know, disease gets a bad rap when it’s the sick people, the result, who are really filthy.  Disease is so pure, so simple - unlike the polluted humans.  All bacteria wants is to divide and conquer, which is why it always wins.”  He watched them with a malicious smile.  “So disease versus humans.  Why did God make you so fragile?  So _weak_?  I can just throw a plague out there and you animals are done for.  It’s really a joke, when you think about it.  Oh dear, Sam, you’re bleeding!”  He had a look of fake surprise on his face and then dramatically leaned in, “On a scale of one to ten, how’s your pain?”

“No-” Sam’s voice cracked and his hands flew to his middle, because blood was soaking his jeans.  “ _No_!”

“Sammy!”  Dean looked just as frightened, and neither of them noticed when the door flew open and Castiel rushed into the room.

The demon nurse was brutally ended, as the angel whirled around and jammed Ruby’s knife into her chest, crumbling to the ground inside a sizzling burst of light.  Without missing a beat, he rounded on the doctor.  Castiel looked larger than life, especially from where the Winchesters were near-death on the floor and watched the scene in slow motion.  Fuck!  They were hoping and praying Castiel wasn’t effected like they were.  It was their only shot to make it out alive-

Pestilence was taken off guard and narrowed his eyes when he exclaimed, “ _You_ were supposed to be out of juice and mortal!” when the angel only slightly staggered in his step.

But the seraph could scent the fear, the sickness soaking into the walls and he didn’t hesitate to lunge forward with the knife before anything else happened.  Before he was next in line to succumb, to be dragged under in the current.  “I had a little help,” Cas taunted and sliced the fingers off the shocked Horseman’s idle hand.

The ring clattered to the ground along with four severed digits and rolled around at random, Castiel dove to capture it.

Bafflement only lasted an instant for the Horseman before he scoffed and snarled, “You’re already too late,” and vanished from the room.  As quickly as he disappeared, the entire atmosphere, the energy in the room had been erased too.

The symptoms seemed to evaporate along with him from the Winchesters, but it did _nothing_ to quell Sam’s terror.  He looked up at Cas with wild eyes and demanded, “Cas!  Is the pup-” he gasped, tears burning his eyes, “is the pup-”

The angel dropped down to his knees and Dean crawled to his brother’s side to grip his shoulder.  

Castiel passed a hand over his stomach and gushed, “I don’t know, Gabriel has the barrier spell protecting it, I can’t see it.  The horseman was powerful, too powerful - enough to see _past_ it-”

“We need to get out of here!”  Dean shouted, “We need Gabriel!”

\--------------------

They met Kali outside because Castiel wasn’t strong enough yet to transport them long distances, and the goddess was filled with alarm when she saw the blood soaking Sam’s jeans.  Dean’s order of “Get us to Bobby’s!” was instantly fulfilled and they were crashing into the living room in the blink of an eye.

Gabriel was there the next flash, taking the shape of a tumultuous whirlwind.

He’d all but shoved everyone aside as he laid the omega down on the couch and clamped his hand down (as gently as he could muster given the terror in his veins) as he closed his eyes and concentrated.  While everyone waited on bated breath, Gabriel’s sigh of relief made the group collectively collapse around them in different states of distress.

“Pup’s okay.”  Gabriel wiped the sweat from his brow as he demanded, “Now can someone tell me _what_ the _fuck_ happened?!”

Dean fell back into the armchair and pulled Castiel with him, fearlessly holding him close.  “Pestilence happened,” he explained, still panted from the dread.  “He infected us, but somehow...he saw Sammy’s kid and tried to…” Dean couldn’t bring himself to say the word.  Especially since just moments ago he’d been fearing for his brother and his niece or nephew in this unbridled panic.  “Sam started bleeding, he thought we were done for and then Cas burst in and saved us.”

Slowly, Castiel opened his fist and held out the ring, with the admission, “I’m only glad I got there in time.  If there is one thing that could hurt a nephil, it would be a Horseman.”

Gabriel’s eyes were glued to Cas as he held Sam’s hand, and they were wide and full of awe.  “Shit,” he cursed and shook his head.  “Castiel.  I can _never_ repay you for this,” his voice was laid bare and raw in pure sincerity.  “Thank you.”

An odd blush crossed the younger angel’s cheeks and he bowed his head a bit, stumbling over his words.  “I-I would do anything to protect Sam and the child.  No thank you is necessary.”

“Shut up.”  It was Dean who squeezed Cas tighter and kissed him on the cheek, still shaken and clinging, like the angel was his rock.  Because he really fucking was.  Especially after what happened.

The commotion in the living room had finally drawn Bobby in and he looked around, demanding, “The hell is going on in here?”

Kali decided it was best to take over because of the emotional exhaustion the others were recovering from, and snagged the ring from Castiel.  She walked it over to the alpha who was collecting the others for safe keeping, and explained, “We narrowly averted disaster, but it’s par for the course, right?” as she dropped the ring into his outstretched hand.

Bobby glanced down to the ring, up to her, and back again.

He took stock of the scene, Castiel and Dean squished into an armchair, Gabriel acting as pillow for Sam’s head on the couch and - just before the archangel snapped - he could have _sworn_ he saw blood covering… that’s when it dawned on him.  Precisely _what_ kind of crisis had been averted.  And he took in a long inhale, because if something happened to that pup?  Sam may not be able to come back from that.  There was a damn good chance _the group_ may not be able to come back from that.

Bobby sighed with his own deduction in mind, and cleared his throat.  “Well, since we’re talkin’ about crisis.  Chicago’s about to be blown off the map.  By Death.”

Gabriel whipped his head over to look the old alpha in the eyes and demanded, “And how do you know that?”  His heart was still skipping every fucking other beat at the thought of losing their child, and now Bobby knew where Death was going to be?

This was too good to be true.

With a grunt, Bobby decided, “You take Sam upstairs.  Work some angelic mojo and keep you two hidden.  I got someone to call on and I’ll explain it to these three.”

The archangel didn’t look convinced, in fact, he looked suspicious.  “You did something stupid, didn’t you.”  With dismissing gesture, he grumbled, “Ya know what?  I don’t wanna know.  I’ll go to my room and ‘work some angelic mojo,’ _Dad_.”

Instead of using the stairs, he flew himself and the omega up to the bedroom without another word about it.

Kali shiftily looked between the alpha and the couple before she kicked back on the couch and announced, “Okay.  Spill.”

As if on cue, Crowley sauntered out from the kitchen for theatrical effect, but the goddess knew damn well he hadn’t appeared until then.  She would have felt his energy, noted the sink of sulfur and black smoke - the entrance was only meant to serve the demon's flair for dramatics.  Kali tried not to huff in annoyance, because really?  Both Castiel and Dean were on their feet at his appearance and on guard.  They were warded to the gills, Gabriel had made sure of that, there was no way for him to be-

But the demon interrupted any outbursts by cooing, “Oh, don’t stop cuddling for me, lovebirds.  I’m only here to confirm that, yes, Death will be in Chicago and the toll will be great.”

“And how the hell do you know that?”  Dean snipped and then noticed Bobby had his head down before his own hackles rose.  “Bobby?  Hey, Bobby!”

“Don’t worry, he did the right thing.”  Crowley cut it, since the old hunter wasn't speaking up and they needed to act.  “It was a trade.  A loan.  A-”

“You sold your soul.”  Castiel figured it out and delivered it with a deadpanned voice.

“Oh, the things you can get with a good old-fashioned deal!”  The demon clapped his hands together, “Right up to a location on a Horseman!  But don’t worry, I’m giving it back.  This was for the greater good, and all that.”

Kali raised an eyebrow and asked Bobby, “Did you kiss him?” with piqued, almost girlish, interest.

“Kali!”  Dean looked scandalized by the woman as Bobby gasped an affronted, “No!”

But when Crowley flashed a photo, the disgruntled alpha demanded, “Why’d you take a picture?!”

Which had Crowley countering with, “Why do _you_ have to use tongue?”

It threw Kali into a fit of giggles, but neither Dean nor Castiel were amused.  In fact, they were furious that not only had Bobby went to those lengths, but that Crowley had convinced him to.  Location or not, Bobby had fucking gone rogue, made this heavy choice without them!

“You lads also have another problem.”  Crowley pushed his phone back into his pocket.  “While I’m proud you’ve taken out Pestilence, that swine flu he was spreading?  It had a purpose: Niveus Pharmaceuticals.  Also known as Brady’s company?  They have the 'miracle cure’ for the sudden outbreak.  Except there’s a special ingredient in the juice.  Something called the Croatoan virus.”  When he spotted Dean visibly flinch, he cocked his head to the side and hummed, “Looks like you’d heard of this before?”

“Yeah.  Causes a full zombie outbreak, but sicker.  Ran into it a couple years back.”  His teeth were ground and his fists clenched.  “We’re gonna have to break off.  Cas?  You, Kali and Bobby have to stop that product from hitting the market.  Blow up the factory, bombs, fire, anything.  Sam and I saw it destroy an entire town, no survivors, it happened in the blink of an eye.  This hits, it’s gonna be 28 Days Later, in 28 hours.”

Castiel reached out and grabbed the other alpha’s hand, “What about you?”

“Death’s gonna be in Chicago.  I gotta be there to stop him,” he met the angel’s gaze.  “Last Horseman, Cas.  We can do this.  Crowley's got the location?  We can _end this_.  We can’t let him level that city, we’ve gotta work fast.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow and had to ask, “Where’s your Moose in all of this?  You’ve been sidelining him more and more as of late.  Makes a girl wonder.”

“That’s none of your business,” Dean growled at the demon, because after what had just happened?

The hunter’s inner alpha was silently roaring under the surface, ordering his little brother needed to be protected.  He knew it was unfounded, but seeing Sam so close to losing the pup…it was petrifying.  And so real.  Nothing like that had happened before, but knowing there _was_ a force out there that could potentially... _No_.  Dean refused to put Sam in the line of fire, in front of these Four Fuckers of the Apocalypse right now.

The event had hit close to home, and they currently had the manpower they needed to get these tasks done.  If they ran into trouble they could pray to Gabriel, and he and Sam could get there in a blink.  But the fact was that they were on a schedule, and the mated pair needed time to heal.  Which just wasn’t something they had allotted time for.

Chicago was destined for demolition.

The virus was due for shipment.

They didn’t have the luxury of making sure Sam was all right, that he had gathered himself.  No, they needed to move without him.

Dean cast a glance to Kali and asked, “Are you okay with this plan?” because it had the undertones of ‘would Gabriel be okay with this plan?’  It was an unspoken deal that she was his right hand, and she had the ability to represent him, in a way.

“Yeah, we need to hurry.”  She got up from the couch and paused before approaching Dean so the demon couldn’t hear.  “I’ll inform Gabriel once he and Sam have some time together.  Will you be all right?  Just you and Crowley?”

“Unfortunately, I’ve already had the pleasure of a shitty buddy comedy with that clown,” Dean rolled his eyes, “will you guys be all right?”

“Of course.  I think we’re doing the right thing.”  She patted him on the back in an small show of support, and turned to Castiel and Bobby.  “Are you two ready to head out?”

With stone-serious faces, they nodded and Bobby told her, “I’ll see what I can git together to make a big splash,” as he headed towards the panic room.

Crowley strutted over to walk alongside Dean and clucked his tongue, “Just you and me again, darling.”

“Shove it.”  Dean groaned and they marched through the front door towards the Impala.

It was go-time.

\------------------

Sam was relieved to be inside their own little angelic bubble, because he was curled around Gabriel like a lifeline and it took him a damn long time to calm down from a full-blown panic attack.  

He had been choking on his breaths, he’d been spilling hot tears over Gabriel’s shirt and his body refused to stop quaking.  But Gabriel had ran his hands through Sam's hair, he’d spoken with a soft tone and told him everything was fine: the pup was fine, that he was here - over and over.  Until Sam believed him.

The omega hadn’t known true fear until he thought he was losing the pup.

It had shaken him to his very foundation, it had stabbed him _so_ fucking deep _._ Now, coming down from the edge of being nearly shattered, it left him raw and vulnerable.

Sam was still pillowed up on Gabriel’s chest, the archangel kissing his cold sweat-covered brow when he finally formed the words.  “I-I’m sorry.”

“Hush, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Gabriel’s voice was still smooth like honey, but Sam couldn’t accept that.

“No…maybe you’re right.  Maybe everyone’s fucking right.  M-maybe I can’t protect the baby, maybe I shouldn’t be fighting like I have been.  God, I almost got our pup _killed_ , Gabriel!  I-”

“Sammy, stop.  Don’t tell yourself that.  You _and_ Dean almost died.  Would you have blamed yourself if Dean had died, too?”  He tried to explain it in a way that the omega would understand, “Both of you were powerless.  It was a freakin’ Horseman - they come with the apocalypse territory as a goddamn _tagline_.  The point is that all three of you are safe.  And…” he took a deep inhale, “you’re still gonna keep on fighting.  I’m just gonna fight with you from now on.”

Gabriel clutched him closer when he admitted, “I’ve been in hiding for too long.  And if it puts you and our pup at risk?  I’m done.  I’m gonna be there for you.  I _should have_ been there for you.  We're in Big Bad territory, it’s my fault, not yours.  I’ve said it before, but this time I fucking mean it.”

“Gabriel…no…” his voice was so weak, disgustingly frail, and he hated it.  “I fucked up, I-"

Sam found himself flipped on his back, the archangel demanding his attention and his focus when he said evenly, “No.  This was not you.  Sam, I have never been that goddamn scared in my life.  And I’ve been alive for a long, long time.  I’ve never had anything important enough, never loved anything enough, to be afraid of losing it.  And guess what?  You and our pup?”  His eyes were boring holes when he pronounced, “You’re _it_.  So you don’t get a say.  I’m going to be there.  I’m going to stand by you, not because I don’t think you can’t do it, but because I don’t want you to do it alone anymore.”

Gabriel’s eyes were earnest and his scent was overwhelming when he whispered, “You get the difference?”

It took Sam’s breath away.  He finally understood how much he was loved.

It was deeper and greater than he could have imagined and, dammit, if he wasn’t tearing up again.

“Okay,” he nodded slowly.  “We’re in this together.”

“Exactly.”  Gabriel sighed out in sheer relief, not knowing whether or not it would resonate with his omega.  “That’s _exactly it_.  I’m glad it clicked.  I just, fuck, kid.  I never knew this would happen, that _you_ would happen.  Sam, you hit me like a goddamn train.  How did you do that?”  He smiled at the thought and moved down Sam’s body to kiss his stomach.  “Both of you.  It’s…fuckin’ crazy.”

Sam let the scent of Gabriel’s love settle him, the tender touch of Gabriel’s lips center him, and the stolen moment with his mate be the calm in the middle of the storm.  This was all he wanted, this right here was all he needed to keep himself from slipping into the undertow.  Because Sam almost _had_ , he was so close to losing his mind, to losing himself in the self-hatred - but he’d been saved.

He returned the earlier favor and let his fingers card through Gabriel’s hair as the alpha rested his cheek against the baby bump.  The archangel leaned happily against the caresses and massaged his hands up and down Sam’s sides.

“I love you, kiddo.”  There was a rawness to his voice, because up until now he’d been trying so damn hard to keep it together for Sam, but a part of his _own_ exhaustion seeped through.  “So fuckin’ much.”

Sam felt the lump in his throat, but it was for an entirely different reason when he echoed, “I love you.”

He tugged at Gabriel’s lightly to pull him back up so their lips could press together.  So their bodies could sink against one another.  They were connected at every point they could be, as their lips moved languidly and sweetly, hands latching and fingers intertwining.  Just existing,  and as close to one being as possible.

After a while, they pulled apart and pressed their foreheads together, Sam scenting Gabriel and finding peaceful stillness.

He admitted sheepishly, “I…think I might take a nap.  Took too much out of me…”

“I’m not going anywhere.”  Gabriel playfully kissed the tip of his nose when he elaborated, “I’m not going anywhere ever again.  Got everything I need right here.”

After today’s events, Sam would never have dreamed it possible, but he fell asleep with a smile on his face.  The warmth of his mate and the sense of protection, home and love made it impossible not to.

\------------------------------

The next time Sam opened his eyes, he had to blink a few times at the wood ceiling to remember exactly where he was.  There was a sense of rested recovery, he felt almost weightless as he studied the old cracks in the panels and sighed out.  He could feel the safety and security of his mate, too.  It was all-encompassing, and that’s when he remembered he was at Bobby’s and-

“Shh,” the alpha’s voice was right next to his ear and the feel of his breath against Sam’s neck was a hot puff, “I’m right here.”

With a nod and a shallow smile, Sam closed his eyes and already knew the answer when he asked, “You kept the nightmares away, didn’t you?”

“I kept all everything away.  Good and bad.”  He noticed the bed shift and Gabriel mouthed at his neck, “Best way for recuperating and to bring you back to me faster.”

“Heh, _never_ thought in my wildest dreams, I’d ever watch you lower yourself this far.  Into being a huge softie.”  Sam chuckled lightly yet couldn’t help but bare his neck - he wanted to feel more of his alpha’s touch, it was pure instinct.

“That’s where yer wrong, kid,” the archangel corrected him and sealed his mouth over their bonding mark and lightly sucked.  “Takes a stronger person to show love.  It’s easy to push ‘em away.  Put yourself at a distant.  After all, that’s something I’m rather familiar with.  Thought you, of all people, woulda realized that.”

Sam tried to suppress a small sigh before countering with, “You waxing poetry now, too, Gabriel?”

“Shut up.  Leave me alone.”

“Don’t want to.”  He had no idea if the alpha knew how damn deep those words ran.  “And don’t stop that.  Feels good.  I need something to feel good after-”

“We’re gonna pretend it never happened.”

That, right there, was an _order_.  A very direct, stern order.  And if his mate was going with that approach, maybe Sam could get on board with it, too.  Regardless, Gabriel continued the ministrations and it sent a tingle down Sam’s spine when the brush of lips and the mouthing gave way to suction and the barest brush of teeth.

“Y-you’re a pretty damn good distraction, you know that?”  Sam tilted his chin just a bit and finally opened his eyes again.

This time, it was to meet golden eyes darkened by need, but not in that overtly animal way he was used to seeing in Gabriel’s stare.  He could scent the beginnings of want in the air, but it was coupled with the deeper part of their bond.  The part that connected them on the level of _true mates_ , not simple sexual desires and the cravings to get off.  And that tingle Sam had previously felt?  Took a sudden turn between his legs.

But- they _couldn’t_.  Not after-

A small grin flashed on the archangel’s face and he moved to hover over Sam.  After a sweet yet heated kiss, he studied Sam closely and scented him in a strangely elegant roll forward.  Once he retracted, his gaze locked with Sam’s and he asked, “Do you feel it too?”

Sam swallowed hard and asked, “Feel what?” hating how his voice betrayed him and quivered just from the barest of attention.

But…being with his mate like this.  Lost in his scent, ready to succumb to his whims, sizzling under his touch and being the object of his compete fixation?  Not to mention all the ways Gabriel had taken care of him, not just physically but emotionally and anyway that he could prepare for in the future-

It was something _more_ , the pull, the drive, the _need_ to be together, it was-

“Don’t be coy, Sammy,” Gabriel quipped and stole kisses that left him breathless.  “It’s okay, you know.”

Sam’s hands had reached out and his fists were clutching the fabric at Gabriel’s shoulder blades as he helplessly groaned out, “I-I feel it.  And, of _course_ , I want it, but...I don’t think I can.  Not this soon, I’m still scared, even if we-”

The archangel sucked the words from his mouth with his lips and tutted him, shaking his head and explaining, “We went through a trial, kid.  Our bond was tested, that’s why our bodies wanna reconnect.  And,” he sat back onto his haunches to pull the shirt from his own torso, then unbuttoned Sam’s, slinking down to kiss the bump, “it’s confused because we haven’t done much outside sleeping for two days.”

“T-two days?”  Although Sam was confused by the time that had elapsed, he was much more focused on the connection between his mate and their pup.

And his rebelling, demanding, needy body.

“Yep.  Don’t worry, everyone’s life-force is good, I’ve got ‘em wire tapped.  But right now?”  Gabriel glanced up and met Sam’s eyes before he slowly tugged at the elastic waistband of the boxers he’d fallen asleep in and began to ease them down the omega’s hips, “There are much better things to be tapped.”

When Sam’s hard erection was freed from the fabric, he didn’t hold back the moan nor did he tear his eyes away from Gabriel.  Still, he was terrified.  But…Gabriel _knew his scent_ and he continued by lovingly stroking his thighs while he flattened his tongue and lapped up the length of Sam’s cock.  As amazing as it felt ( _God_ , did it feel amazing), Sam just couldn’t comprehend _why_ they were still moving forward-!

“Don’t worry,” he assured the omega as he grabbed the base and licked the tip already beading precum (which paled in comparison to the wetness between his legs), “I’m gonna take care of you.  I’m not gonna fuck you.  Well, not like _that_.”

His scent oozed mischief and the sight of Gabriel’s talented tongue swirling around his dick had Sam bucking off the bed.

It was only natural for Sam to spread his legs, but the alpha firmly held them together which…didn’t make sense.  But, to be honest, the omega didn’t care in the least - because Gabriel was taking his length all the way down his throat.  Sam moaned loudly and had to tear his eyes away as he arched into the fantastic suction and heat.

Gabriel’s teasing words had him confused, though - but his thoughts were fleeting as his mate continued to take him down his throat, ripping uncontrollable noises from Sam’s chest.  He was enthralled, his cock was pulsing, aching, and Gabriel knew exactly what made him tick as he swallowed around his entire erection.

Then, when his alpha pulled away and began running his fingers through the slick coating his inner thighs, the omega felt panic all over again because - what if they hurt the pup?  What if what Pestilence  _had_ done something and if Gabriel-

“You really need to trust me more,” the alpha chuckled, and the hand he had coated in slick?

Was wrapped around Sam’s dick.

Gabriel fisted his cock, getting him wet and sloppy in a way the alpha’s saliva never could.  

And that’s when Gabriel’s grin turned downright devilish, snapping the rest of his clothing away and straddling Sam’s hips.

The hunter’s eyes doubled in size as his mate dipped forward and whispered, “You ever thought about being inside _me_ , omega?” letting the head of Sam’s cock barely catch at the his hole.

“ _Holy fuck_ , Gabe-” it was all in a single gasp as his alpha lined up-

“That’s the idea,” the archangel had no shame as he winked and sat back-

Making absolutely _certain_ Sam had the perfect view for the mouth-watering show of his cock disappearing inside Gabriel’s ass.

Whatever sound that came from Sam’s chest was punched out and more animal than human.  His utter shock and pleasure gripping him, twisting him in excitement and sending him somewhere else.  He didn’t know where to look as the self-satisfied and wanton grin spread across Gabriel’s face and he began to grind down on Sam’s cock.  Sam was lost, but he could grab his alpha’s thighs so he wasn’t completely swept away.

“G-Gabriel,” his voice was absolutely wrecked, “y-you feel, _God_ , you-”

“Did you short-circuit, babe?”  He pitched forward enough to steal a kiss and pull halfway off Sam’s cock, only to slam back down.  This time, his voice wasn’t unaffected when he moaned, “I hope what you’re tryin’ to spit out is a good thing, ’cause I don’t hate this,” he swiveled his hips and began to ride him at a steady pace, “Nope, don’t hate this at all,” his scent filled with heady lust.

Sam tried weakly to raise his hips and thrust up into Gabriel, but the archangel had him right where he wanted him.  Sam, like usual, was just along for the ride.

Gabriel was taking his breath away, the way he rolled his body and moved flawlessly up and down his cock, taking no prisoners.  The omega knew his mouth was hanging open and the tightness wrapped around him was _mind-blowing_.  He had no idea if his mate had any concept of just how close he was _already_ , but Sam needed to do something to pay him back, for letting him have this-

“I love you!” Sam blurted, changing his focus from Gabriel’s ass slamming down on his dick to his mate’s eyes, “you a-always take care of me,” as he tried to plant his heels and fuck up into the alpha again.  “You’re too good to me.”

“N-no such thing,” his eyes melted into something a little warmer and when Sam grappled out for him, he went willing.

He needed to kiss him, needed to show Gabriel what he meant to him with his mouth, with his body - any way that he _could_.  And when the archangel pitched forward Sam had a little more leverage to thrust into his body.  He cradled the back of Gabriel’s neck with one hand, and reached in-between them with the other, fisting the alpha’s forming knot.

Sam grinned into the kiss when he was able to rip a long moan from his mate and continued to jerk him off as their bodies moved in perfect rhythm.  He massaged his knot, coaxing it along his shaft and it had Gabriel keening and slamming down on Sam’s cock harder and faster.

Everything reached a whole new level of intensity, now that they were licking into each other’s mouths and racing to get the other off.  It was wasn’t a race towards their own orgasms: the urge was to _please the other_.  And it had began the moment Gabriel, an alpha archangel, didn’t bat an eye at switching up their roles to make his mate comfortable.  

Only because Sam may be a little trigger shy.  

An alpha bending over for an omega was unheard of.

If that wasn’t a grand gesture, Sam didn’t know what was.

That was the thought running through his head when he spilled into his mate’s body, who moaned encouragements into his ear and sucked on the mark.  The heightened sensation from their bond made Sam’s body hyper-sensitive, and he could feel every slicker slide from his cum as it filled Gabriel.  It was truly amazing and he doubled his efforts with his hand around the alpha’s knot.

Gabriel was biting his own lip so he wouldn’t bite Sam, because the way his mate’s hand was moving and jerking him-

He buried his face into Sam’s neck and sharply inhaled his scent as his knot swelled and he blew his load over the omega.  Gabriel’s breath was coming out in heaves, but when he pulled away to see Sam’s naked skin glistening with his release, the possessive streak inside him pulsed to life, and he couldn’t help but curse out, “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” before he grabbed his cock from Sam’s hand and started stroking himself with long, tight pulls.

Because his inner animal wanted more.

Sam looked surprised, but then his eyes darkened in arousal when Gabriel’s freehand smeared the cum already on his chest, and he knew precisely what his alpha was doing.  So Sam encouraged it and whispered what his alpha always demanded of him, before all of this: “I’m _yours_ , Gabriel.  All yours.”

“Yer damn right,” he hissed out and came one more time, adding to the mess and looking upon his mate with reverie while his head was rushing in euphoria.  

“So fuckin’ stunning,” he moaned and trailed his hands over the expanse of Sam’s chest and stomach.  Gabriel finally pulled off Sam’s softening cock and ducked to the side to kiss him properly, his hand lingering over the swell of the omega’s belly.  “I feel better now.  How about you?”

“Heh,” Sam shook his head incredulously.  “I…feel fantastic.   _You’re_ fantastic.  That’s…” he stopped because he knew he sounded like an idiot.  “Thank you.”

The archangel winked and paused, as though he was listening before he groaned, “Dammit, I wanted to cuddle but I think the cavalry’s back.”  He snapped his fingers, not only cleaning them both up (which he personally _loathed_ doing, now that he’d figured out a new kink that shot up to the top of his list, no pun intended), but into clothes as well.  “I guess we should see what’s up, huh?”

“Yeah, probably.”  Sam allowed his mate to pull him up from the mattress, but the goofy grin off his face wasn't going anywhere.  It was something the alpha noticed right away and took a secret pride in.

When they made their way down the rickety old stairs, they saw Kali, Bobby and Castiel looking worse for wear.  A mix of blood, soot and sweat soaked and crusted their clothing, fabric was torn and frayed, and they scented of…smoke?  Sam was alarmed and rushed the rest of the way down the steps in Bobby's direction.  Especially because the alpha was now _walking_ , Sam realized with a startle, yet Gabriel was the one who spoke up first.  

It was quite the sight: Kali's makeup was even a bit smudged as Gabriel tilted his head and appraising them.  “What did you Three Amigos get into?”

“Amigos?”  Castiel echoed in confusions, “When did Spanish-”

“The usual,” Bobby grumbled out.  “Saved some civilians, ganked some demons, blew up a factory.”

The omega’s jaw dropped open when he repeated, “A factory?  What factory?!”

“Heard you had a taste of the Croatoan virus before, Sammy, quite literally,” Kali gestured to him, looking distastefully at the crimson flaking under her fingernails.  “That was Pestilence’s plan.  Disguising it as the vaccine to the swine flu outbreak.  Niveus was the supplier.  We made it go ka-boom.”

“Bravo!”  Gabriel slow-clapped with a nod of approval, “Couldn’t have _that_ nasty bug getting out.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?  We could have helped!” Sam protested, but he was cut off by a ringing phone.

The loud thrill wasn't from a cellphone, it was coming from one of the landlines up on Bobby’s wall of phones used for the hunter's network.  Threaded through the wires were labels of varying levels of government agencies and law enforcement that covered deputies through FBI superiors, abstract department heads to use as off-kilter disguises, and ones strictly to talk lore and references for hunts.  This was a prime example of how Bobby wore many metaphorical hats, and he did a damn good job. 

The old alpha grumbled and made a sharp turn around the desk, because while he would normally ignore any incoming calls, this was his _personal_ line.  The people who had the actual number were slim to none.  
  
Bobby yanked it off the hook and answered with a gruff, “Yeah?” but the pauses and his facial expressions were too blank.  

Too vacant, in a chilling way.  

Everyone was waiting on pins and needles until he hung up, and turned back to the group slowly.

“Well, I’ll be a whore in’a convent.  The idjit’s gone and proven us _all_ wrong,” he said in disbelief, glancing through the crew of his comrades.  “Dean’s comin’ back.  Death’s ring in tow.”

The shock only amplified and no one could find the right words to explain what they were feeling.  Expect Gabriel, naturally.

“We collected all four of those suckers, you know what that means, right?”  An almost malicious smile lit up on his face.  “ _Now_ we get to claim our prize.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sam didn’t like this.  He didn’t like this one bit.

Sure, they’d ‘collected all four’ rings that manifested as the key to Lucifer’s lock-box, but all the plans people were spitballing through Bobby's living space were half-assed and left too much room for error.  They couldn’t afford to get cocky just because they had a “mission-accomplished” under their belts.  Because to be honest?

The mission was just beginning.

This was the background work before beginning a damn plan!  Now a blueprint was needed, some kind of surefire way to make it happen, so many things needed to fall in place before they could rest easy at night.  And Lucifer, _God_ …Sam _still_ had nightmares about the slaughter at Elysian Field’s.  He wondered if Kali was so driven by revenge that she was blinded and ignorant to all her comrades, her family all having been murdered in cold-blood by the very same archangel that night.

The crew considered Bobby’s a home base for a while, still going back and forth with ideas and Sam was restless.  He was nervous, because everyone else felt on top of the world about the Horsemen’s rings.  Gabriel kept the omega’s hand in his while he tossed ideas around too, but Sam knew deep down, there was only _one_ right way to do this.

So he cleared his throat loudly, and started in with, “Guys, you’re avoiding the obvious.”

Everyone hesitated and their voices fell silent, their eyes turned to Sam.

Because up until now?  The omega hadn’t been a single part of any of their plan.  And he was sick of it.

“Lucifer isn’t going to show up unless _I’m_ there,” he finally spat out, tired of being ignored.  “I get it.  We had a scare with Pestilence.  But summoning Lucifer?  Trying to lure him in?  All these other half-cocked plans?  It’s not gonna happen.  What _will_ work is me as bait.”

Gabriel seemed to freeze up next to him but didn’t want to argue, because the angel was smart and knew it was the truth.  Plus, the last thing he wanted was a fight with his mate.  Dean…wasn’t quite as tactful, but that was par for the course.

“Sammy,” his voice held a low warning.  “Putting you in the line of fire is dumb.  What do you think is going to happen now that he's had a chance to stew over the fact that you're mated?  To his goddamn brother?  Ya think he hasn’t had enough time to scheme about all the creative ways to tear Gabriel apart, piece by piece?  What about the small fact you can’t even say yes to begin with because you’ve got a pup on the way?  What if he can tell this time?”  With a sharp hand movement, Dean tried to pronounce, “You’re the one with the most to lose!”

“We’ve all got _everything_ to lose!”  Sam snapped right back, “And Gabriel can hide the pup!  He’s done it before!”

“But,” Kali began with a cautious tone, “Lucifer also knows there’s something fishy going on.  That you’ve tapped into some _serious_ power.  My guess is during the all the time he’s been wrecking havoc?  He’s been trying to put together the pieces, too.  Hell, he might have already figured it out.  He might kill you on sight, Sam.”

Sam protested instantly, “Or he won’t!  The only way to even _conceive_ nephilim is to have a true mate who’s an angel!  The odds of that alone are staggering!  He’s not-”

“’S that true?”  Bobby looked between Gabriel and Castiel in a moment of awe, the researcher in his bones getting the best of him.  “That why they’re so rare?”

“Yes, it is,” Castiel answered, squinting at the mated pair.  “I…hadn’t even thought of that until now.  Which means Sam is more than likely correct.  Lucifer would probably never consider that an option…”

“See!”  The omega urged forward, needing them to listen!

“So,” Kali crossed her arms and noted Gabriel’s silence with interest, she looked Sam in the eyes and prompted, “Exactly what do you have in mind?”

“Well,” Sam took in a breath before he launched into what he’d been mulling over while the peanut gallery had been bullshitting.  “We figure out a location.  Someplace we could at least try to have the element of surprise in.  Drop the warding on me, I’ll try to talk him into some kind of deal that ends with me saying yes, hopefully he never picks up on the fact that I can’t.”

“We’ll need to make damn sure of that.”  Dean grumbled out and looked at Kali, “Can you guys, like, double-hide him?  Like, when Gabriel angel-hides the pup...can you use Pagan magic to make sure the job is foolproof, Kal?”

“I could do a different _kind_ of concealment spell.”  Her eyes hadn’t left Sam, and addressed Dean as an afterthought.  She was waiting for the rest of the omega’s plan.

“Okay, good.”  Sam glanced around and stated, “So I get him there.  When we’re talking, everyone else gets into place.  Cas flies Dean in, he tosses the key, says the incantation.  Kali and Gabriel appear at the same time and should have the juice, the good old-fashioned strength, to blast his ass back into the cage once it’s open.”

There was a second where everyone was musing over the plan, and it was Bobby who finally spoke up.

“Sounds better than anything you other idjits were comin’ up with.”  The old alpha lifted the beer he’d been nursing and took a pull.  “I vote yes on this one.”

“I don’t like you being alone with him.”

Those were the first words Gabriel had spoken since the omega had overtaken the discussion.

They made Sam turn on the couch to face him and sigh heavily because he didn’t know how to handle it.  He didn’t know if he should be pissed off, frustrated, indifferent, or what - because his mate was a blank slate, his scent not telling anything either.  Gabriel wasn’t showing what he thought of the plan, only saying vacant words.

So Sam settled on, “It’s not like I’ll like it anymore than you will.  But how else would we get the jump on him?  How else would we bring Lucifer to _us_?  Tracking him down would just put us in a den of demons and we’ll be in over our head.  Summoning ritual will end with him landing, gearing up for a full-fledged attack.  We need the ball in our court, we need to continue being one step ahead.  I thought that’s what you’d want, too.”  When Gabriel didn’t reply right away, Sam turned to the others and almost challenged, “Does anyone have a better idea than that?”

“It’s the best plan we’ve heard so far, Sam,” Castiel stated simply, and added the matter-of-fact, “I believe everyone is worried about the pup and doesn’t want harm to come to it.”

“Freakin' duh.”  Dean rolled his eyes and looked to the angel.  “Thanks for stating obvious, Cas.”

The angel simply blinked openly and tilted his head, “I merely pointing out the fact that-”

“I can do this!  Pestilence was a stupid mistake.  I get it, we fucked up.  We were all shaken up from it, but Lucifer?  He doesn’t want to _hurt_ me, he just… _wants_ me.  We can’t avoid it.  And I’m not just the best bet, I‘m pretty damn sure I‘m the only bet.”  Sam was beginning to get riled up.

“I’ll cast my vote with you, Sam,” Kali nodded and stood up, crossing the room to approach him.  “May I try something?”

Although the omega’s brow was scrunched in confusion, the goddess’ hand was restless at her side, just awaiting permission to reach out.  Gabriel noticed right away and his focus darted between Kali and Sam until it clicked at to what she was doing.  Then, he released Sam’s hand and scooted over on the couch to give the pair some room.

“Relax.”  She laughed lightly and explained, “Trial run.  Let’s see if I can hide the pup all by my lonesome?  Then when Gabriel adds his touch, you bet your ass ‘mommy and me’ will be concealed.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Sam scooted and sat up a little straighter.

The way she moved was elegant, her eyes fluttered closed at the same time she raised her arm and settled her palm against Sam’s forehead.  There was a moment where a tangible energy hovered around her form, blood orange - like glowing embers - and when it began to reach out from her core towards Sam‘s, something very unexpected happened.

The precise _instant_ her magic touched the center of Sam's body, a blue gold glow light erupted so violently that the entire room was blinded.  Everything shook like an earthquake by the burst of energy, yet no one but the angels could see what was happening because they'd covered their their eyes from damage, shouting out in confusion about the flare and tremors-  
  
A massive thud had the men whipping their attention, the light dimming enough to see that - shit-!

Kali’s body was _thrown_ across the study, colliding with a bookshelf that toppled over the moment she crashed into then.  She gasped in shock and pain, the old tomes collided with her from above, one by one, until the shelf creeked and crumbled completely - the glow fading to nothing in the room.

“Holy fuck!” Dean was on his feet and rushing towards her, while Sam was gasping and clutching his middle because…

_…that_ was where the energy that erupted from.

The pup.

The pup had immediately rejected her, fiercely denying their life-force (no matter the good intentions) and a rush of power spiked through Sam’s own body.  Gabriel was speechless, scooting right back over to Sam and overlapping his hand to feel their baby, but his eyes were on the goddess wondering what the hell had just happened?!

Sam was fighting to catch his breath, leaning against his mate, as Kali was pulled from the mess and wreckage, dusting herself off.  There was a sheen of sweat across her brow, and a stumble in her step as Dean physically hauled her up to help her to sit back down.  That wasn't good.  The fact that she needed Dean to help her when she was so independent, that worried them all.

Kali cursed and stared at Sam with a dropped jaw at first, trying to figure out the correct words to say.  Because, for once, she was honestly speechless and visibly wounded.

Once Dean assisted her to the couch, Kali shuddered out, “S-Sam.  I know you d-don’t want to use your pup as a weapon.  But what I just felt?”  Her eyes were damn saucers as she shook her head, trying to conceal the aching injury encompassing her body from her voice, “A friendly ’fuck off, don’t touch me?’  That just zapped a huge, integral chunk of my strength.  What you’ve got is… Jesus!  You’ve got a winning hand.  It’s all aces!  If you’d just _consider-_ ”

“No!”  Sam’s words were out before he thought to say them, “No.  I told everyone, it’s not a weapon, it’s-!”

“She’s.”  Kali corrected with a small smile, while made Gabriel and Sam both pause.  “Sorry, I don’t know if you were waiting, but it’s not like you could go in and get a doctor to tell you.  Probably blow up the equipment.  But…it’s better than calling your little girl an _it_ , right?”

Although everything blindsided them, there was a moment where the mated pair looked down to where both their hands were covering Sam’s swollen middle, and then their eyes locked.  Both were smiling widely and Gabriel dared to duck in and steal a kiss with a whispered, “We’re having a baby girl, Sammy.”

“Y-yeah.”  It was hushed and breathy, but it made it that much more real.  And it gave Sam’s cause even _more_ steam that this was _his pup_ and not the killing-machine they seemed to be pushing for, goddammit.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Castiel was crouched over Kali, his own glow of grace washing over the woman and he looked alarmed.  “Kali is not being facetious.  The pup incapacitated her when she attempted to aid.  Even though her intentions were pure, any outside sources may be in grave danger if the baby feels jeopardized.”

Gabriel pushed off the couch and rushed over to Kali’s side, where she was still panting and collapsed, melting into the furniture.  It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the seraph, he just needed to see for himself.  He needed to see the extent of the damage.  And Gabriel couldn’t have prepared for the toll it had taken on Kali.

“Fuck.  I am so sorry!” Gabriel urged and dropped to his knees in front of her.  “We had no idea that-”

She groaned and pushed to sit up.  “You’re all crowding me, go back to your seats, fuck!”  But Kali's pride wouldn’t let her admit aloud how dizzy and zapped she really was.  With a scoff she stated, “Even if you’re not gonna use your little girl as a weapon, I have a feeling if Lucifer tries anything on Sam?  She may retaliate anyway.   _You_ may not get the choice, kiddo, so be prepared.  All in all?  It means the plan is pretty damn foolproof.”

“We gotta wait.”  Dean still hadn’t left Kali’s side even though Gabriel returned to Sam‘s.  The friendship they’d built wouldn’t let him, no matter how much she bitched and complained.  He wasn't sure when it happened, but Kali snaked her way in and he considered her his best friend.  “If Sam isn’t going to use the power to shove Satan into the box?  We gotta wait until Kali recharges.”  His jaw was clenched, because even though he didn’t blame Sam for hurting their comrade, he _didn’t understand_ why a one-time-deal was so unforgivable.

With the power they’d just witnessed?

They could do away with Lucifer today!  There wouldn't be another drop of blood spilled, no more innocent bystanders would be hurt, the end of the world would be in their rear-view!  But Sam…he wasn’t budging, he was stubborn and he probably never would.

Dean understood the moral high ground his brother took, sure, but wouldn’t fighting and obtaining that world _for_ their pup be the number one priority?  They’d never been worried about getting their hands a little dirty before, and this wasn’t even doing anything wrong!  It wasn’t like they were coaxing a toddler into murder!

It would be Sam channeling a power he had within him.  They could be finished and when Dean cast a glance at Gabriel and his pursed lips, he could see the archangel was also deliberating the same dilemma.  

Even though he was keeping it to himself.  Even though he may never bring it up with Sam.

Dean thought Gabriel had been acting a little cagey all day, and this was icing on the cake.

“How long’ll it take you to heal up?”  Bobby’s voice startled them all from their internal monologues and handed Kali a glass of cold water he‘d rushed to get her.

She shot him a grateful smile, then asked with a patronizing sigh over to the archangel, “What do you think, Doc?  You’ve seen me weak before.  We’ve gotten into some trouble over the centuries.”

“No more than a week,” Gabriel assured her, as well as the rest of the room.

Sam had previously buried his face in his hands and finally looked up to the goddess.  “I can't say sorry enough, Kali.  I had no idea that would happen, I never would have let you-”

“None of us did, Sammy,” she assured him.  “But it begs the question, was it my Pagan magic?  Or would _grace_ get through?  Because if the pup’s half angel and doesn’t mind grace touching it, there _may_ be a problem with Lucifer after all.”  For a half-second, she looked at Cas considering, but shook her head.  “I don’t think we want any more test subjects.  Let’s just hope it only responds to the baby daddy, and call it good.”

“That’s…a really, really relevant topic, though.”  Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.  “Whether it only allows Gabriel’s grace?  Or anything angel is all right?  Shit!”  He abruptly stood up and turned his back, knowing he’d (unintentionally) fucked up bad, and they were grounded for a week.  

He needed to be alone.  

Sam knew he was probably pissing people off with his choice, but it was _his_ choice to make!  

Hurting Kali, seeing her like that when she’d only been trying to help, Sam couldn’t deal with it.  Nor the judging looks from his brother.  He took the stairs, two by two, and disappeared in the room he called his own at Bobby’s.

Downstairs, everyone was locked in a heated, weighted silence as Kali nursed the glass of water and the elephant in the room remained just that.  A huge fucking elephant.

“Gabe,” Dean’s voice had an edge to it as he got the archangel’s attention from where his eyes lingered on the staircase.  Once the alpha looked back, he continued with, “You know you’re thinking about it, too.  I can tell, I-”

“Don’t.”  His voice was a million times sharper than the human’s and his eyes narrowed dangerously.  “Don’t even _think_ about me going against my mate’s wishes.  And this little…hiatus?  It’s for the best.  Trust me on this.”

His tone left no room for discussion as he stood up tall and began to walk.

Except, Castiel moved swiftly to block his path and urged, “Brother, don’t you think…it would be wise to give Sam some space right now?”

With a snort, Gabriel grabbed the seraph’s shoulder and harshly moved him out of his way.  “Believe me, space is the _last thing_ the kid needs.”

No one said anything as the alpha was next in line to leave, but they were all looking between one another with the finality of his words and the slightly cryptic message.  Because, while Gabriel may do a lot of talking, there was something he wasn’t saying.

And it was deliberate.

Since they had a miffed omega, his mate with zipped lips, an injured goddess and three alphas who were useless on their own…there wasn’t much to do.

So Dean massaged his temples and let out a grunt of frustration before turning to Kali and asking, “I know you don’t sleep, but I also know when Cas was recovering it helped him.  Wanna steal our bed for a while?  We can look up backup plans and…all right.”  He huffed, deciding there was no reason to hide the truth from the group.  “I won’t lie, I’m gonna get drunk,” Dean finally admitted, because why the fuck not.

A grin tugged on Kali’s features and she agreed, “That sounds like the best plan we have right now, anyway.”

\------------------------

Gabriel didn’t waste his time with the door, he just snapped to unlock it and let himself right it.  His mate looked offended and there was something poised on the tip of his tongue when Gabriel shut it behind him.  The raised finger stopped Sam, because the alpha planned on doing the talking, thank you very much.

He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed where Sam had been stewing, leaning his back against the headboard and Gabriel said, “Just take a deep breath for me, okay?” And waited for the omega to follow his instructions.  Although, Sam was stubborn and just stared at him through narrowed eyes, waiting to hear Gabriel's point in being here.

This wasn’t working, Gabriel knew it wasn’t working and he knew why, so he needed to switch up his approach.

He crawled the length of the bed and sat right next to Sam, taking a moment to just be there with him before wistfully saying, “We’re having a little girl, Sammy.  And I’m gonna spoil her rotten.”

That seemed to soften the omega’s shoulders (just a tad, which was a miracle all by itself) and they were moving in the right direction.

“Yeah…” Sam’s voice was just above a whisper.  “At least something good came out of this clusterfuck.  I figured we wouldn’t be able to know the gender because of the situation until she was born.  Wow.   _She_.  It feels…nice to know.”

“Ya gonna let me practice braiding on your hair?” Gabriel teased and wiggled his eyebrows

Apparently, Sam didn’t find it that funny and a bitchface graced his features, but that was because of his mood.  He was so tense, strung up too tight and everything that happened or was said just amplified it.  

Plus, the way Gabriel was acting intensified everything.  The ping-ponging was maddening: silent and uncertain one minute, cocky and back to Gabriel the next.  The mixed-signals were driving Sam crazy, and he couldn’t deal with it.

“Sammy…”  Gabriel reached out and rested his hand on his mate’s thigh, squeezing it in support when he finally said the words, “There’s a _reason_ you’re acting like this.  Feeling like this.”

“Like I don’t want to use my daughter as a goddamn weapon?!”  Sam barked, jerking around to stare down the alpha, “Maybe because-”

Gabriel immediately pressed two finger to Sam’s lips to hush him.  “No, that’s totally justified.  And I’ll be behind you, every step of the way.  What I mean is since we started planning.  Now, normally you’re the voice of reason, not the aggressor.  And while I’m a’okay with your plan, couldn’t you feel the emotion behind it?  The little something-extra propelling you forward?”

Sam paused and replayed the whole scene, realizing that, yeah, he had been on edge the entire time.  That he had been unyielding, unreceptive and almost combative.  When Gabriel withdrew, he could see his mate was getting at something so he asked, “There’s…a reason?”

With a nod and a half-smile, Gabriel snorted then chuckled, “Maybe it’s a good thing you literally blasted Kali into next week.”

“Gabriel.  What’s going on.”  Irritation was heightening in Sam, if that was even possible, and he didn’t want to flip his shit on his mate.  But he was damn near close to if he didn’t spell it out!

“I can feel it starting.  Even though you’re just feeling the beginning tingles, and you‘re not gonna like it.”  He was soft and… _kind_ as he moved to get directly in front of Sam and cupped his cheek.  “You’ve heard of pregnancy heats, right?”

Sam froze under Gabriel’s touch, his entire body seizing, “…What are you-”

“You’re about to start any time now.”  Gabriel finally stated and kissed his motionless lips, “It’s okay, it happens to over half of omegas, I’m gonna take care of you.  You’re gonna get past the fussy part and we’ll have some fun.”  He moved to Sam’s neck, since he wasn’t getting much of a response and sure as hell didn'tlike not getting kissed back, not one little bit.

When Gabriel’s lips brushed the mating bite, it finally restarted Sam’s brain and he demanded, “C-can’t you stop it?!  Gabriel, I _can’t_ go into heat!  I can’t remember the last time!  Famine was a fluke,  I can’t do it, please-”

There was a fright in his voice that had the alpha jolting up to meet his eyes, and he found even more terror there.  He hadn’t expected Sam to react like this, not at all.  Maybe act put-out.  Or even frustrated.  However, since Kali was out of commission anyway and they were together, it shouldn’t have posed any problems.  Or so he thought.

But then again, Sam had been on suppressants his entire life and lived as an alpha.  Fuck, Gabriel hated seeing this kind of distress, and it had him straddling Sam’s lap and cradling the back of his neck.

“Hey, hey, calm down,” he soothed him with what he hoped was a genuine smile, but Sam was a deer in headlights.  “You’ve got nothing to worry about.  You’ve got a sexy mate who’s obsessed with you, who’s gonna make you feel so good, who’ll do anything and everything you want,” he traced his fingers along the mating mark.  “It’s nothing to be afraid of, babe.”

Gabriel tried to kiss him again, but Sam…just wasn’t working with him.  

So he pulled away, giving them enough distance to talk and asked genuinely, “What’s wrong?  I promise I’ll take care of you.”

Sam’s eyes were downcast when he finally said, “I’ve always hated being out of control.  Hated being an omega in those moments.  I tried to pretend, always have, but I couldn’t deny what I was then.  And more than anything,“ he let out a shaky breath, “Even…if it turned out alright…last time I was in heat, I thought I made the worst mistake of my life.  I thought I ruined the _one_ good thing I'd ever had…I hated myself so fucking much.”  He finally looked up at Gabriel, “I thought I ruined _you_.  I thought I lost you forever.  I thought I-”

“But you have me,” the archangel pressed, never having seen Sam fall apart quite like this before.  “And not only that, it’s because of what you call a ‘mistake?’  That was the move that finally pushed us together.  That made me get my head out of my ass.  And this time around?”  Gabriel’s grin turned wild and he nipped at Sam’s earlobe, “We’re gonna make up for it.”

Although the archangel provocatively sucked on his mate’s neck, earning him a muffled moan, he pulled away and brushed their noses together.  “However!  We’re gonna wait until it hits you.  Until you’re really in heat, sloppy wet and begging for it,” Gabriel purred out.  “And there’s nothing to be afraid of.  ‘Cause I’ll be too busy fucking that sweet ass for you to be worried about a thing.  You know why?”

Sam’s heart was racing and he was damn near breathless from the dirty words when he asked, “W-why?”

“Because, Sammy,” Gabriel grabbed his chin and forced his attention, pronouncing slowly, “I love you.”

Finally, Sam seemed to warm up to the idea and took a more active roll, pushing against Gabriel’s touch and kissing his lips.  “Thank you.”

“Mm, anything for you, Mama.”  He couldn’t help but take the opening.  “Now, how about we cuddle or some shit, because I know you worked yourself up into a tizzy.  Can’t be good for our baby girl.”  Gabriel snapped his fingers and they were under the covers, and Sam rolled his eyes when he realized they were naked.  “Hey!  Just getting some of the work out of the way!  So, once you’re feeling the need for some dick?  Help yourself.”

“God,” Sam groaned and tucked in beneath the sheets, reaching for Gabriel until they were tangled together.  “I don’t know what the hell to do about you sometimes.”  Then, he started chuckling, because the alpha truly knew what to do to make things better.  “I love you, too.  Really, thank you, Gabe.”

“Don’t mention it.”  He pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead and held him close.  “Although, you _will_ be screamin’ it later.”

Sam sighed in dramatic annoyance but felt grateful to know where all these emotions had sprung from, and it made sense.  This was how he felt before his last heat - the one brought on by Famine.  Since he honestly couldn’t remember a heat before then.

The only thing that could make this livable was the fact that his mate was amazing and, God, was here to help him through it with a smirk that meant the best kind of trouble, not with a frightened face after Sam screamed his name predating a fight.  The situation was right and maybe…maybe Sam could live with that.

He hoped.

Sam tried to take some deep breaths in and remain as calm as possible while he still could.  Of course, he could feel the beginnings of a storm brewing, but this, right now - was the lingering normalcy he wanted feel for as long as possible.  Being in control.  Just holding one another before the inevitable.

With Gabriel, he could do this.

Just briefly, his mind wandered to the thought of pregnancy heats.

He knew there was a chance, before all this.  Sam just prayed he wasn’t a statistic.  He should have known better.  The more he thought about it…the more it made sense.  Normal heats, ruts and cycles were because of biology, but during pregnancy: they were about _connection_.  These manifested when a pair was mated for the right reasons, when a pair was so unified and their bond was based around love.  Not only were Sam and Gabriel all those things - they were _true mates_.  Hell, they were true mates who had created one of the most powerful entities known to existence.

Of fucking course Sam’s biology would do this.  It wasn’t because his body was turning against him - in the way it had with Famine.  It was…bringing him and his true mate closer together.  At least, that was the explanation that the omega came up with.

He could feel the sweat beading up on his brow, as well as the points where he and Gabriel’s skin was touching.  Which happened to be basically everywhere.

The alpha was right.  It was going to start anytime.  Sam only hoped (embarrassingly enough) Gabriel would get a chance to tell the others soon, so they wouldn’t worry.  Or at the very least, get the warning to them to stay away.  God knows Dean walking in on them again was the last thing he needed.

Maybe…maybe the pup even knew?  Maybe that’s why it reacted so violently to Kali’s touch, because there was someone trying to infringe on her parents, and Sam was to be left alone now.  What if the pup was protecting Sam because his hormones were going haywire and the pup thought any contact was an attack?

He felt terrible about Kali, but the timing...

“You okay, kid?” Gabriel whispered in his ear, pressing a kiss to his brow.  “We’re supposed to be relaxing, ya know.  You’re not following directions.”

“Heh.”  He couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Never been very good at that.”

“Touche.”

There was a grin in Gabriel’s voice as well as amusement in his scent.  If Sam wanted to be bitchy (even he could admit he felt that way) he’d admonish his mate and scold him that this was nothing to be entertained by.  But…then the alpha would turn it around into something that made Sam relax.  How he always managed to do that was beyond Sam…

But Sam’s affection for his mate was almost tangible, and he couldn’t help but tilting his chin up and pressing their lips together.  Because…he _really_ wanted to.

Gabriel seemed almost surprised by the downright affectionate kiss, but melted into it, cupping Sam’s cheek and humming against the touch.  He took advantage of the way they fit together perfectly; the way their mouths moved in unison tenderly and before either knew it, Gabriel was on top, but his limbs were against the mattress.

Not pressing against Sam, as they had been.

Which made the omega whine in protest.

Just for a second, Gabriel pulled away and explained, “Hey, I’m all about this,” as he pressed another soft kiss to his mate’s lips, “but like I said, until you’re in heat?  We’re not gonna force the topic.”

Sam shoved him away, panting lightly and swallowing hard.  “Think I’m getting there.”

He wasn’t lying.

Now that he wasn’t hot from the contact of their bodies, he realized quickly that he was sweating from every pore.  It wasn’t from Gabriel’s body heat, he was turning into his very own furnace and his blood was beginning to run hot.  What confirmed it further was the way Gabriel’s nostrils flared when he scented him.

“Yeah…” the alpha heaved out a sigh and fell back to his haunches, just to collect himself.  Then, with a brow raised he asked, “Wanna know a secret?”

Sam didn’t understand if Gabriel was deflecting, if he was trying to put off the inevitable or what the hell he was doing.  But that didn’t change the fact that he was curious.  Suspicious, but curious.

“What kind of secret?”

“The first time you were in heat - nuh-uh-uh, _don’t_ spoil this,” Gabriel could already see Sam jumping in, protesting the validity of his so-called “heat,” so the alpha ducked forward and stopped him with a low order and a hand carding through Sam’s hair.  “One of the first things I thought?  Was begging you to go off your suppressants.  Maybe once or twice a year.  Then whisking you away to our own little paradise where I, and _only I_ , could take care of you.  All hot and needy.  Fuck you nonstop for a week straight.”  He brushed their noses together when he admitted, “I think I’d fallen for you much sooner than I’d admit even to myself.”

“Heh, maybe Famine got to you, too,” Sam’s tone was rueful, because he was still scarred from the experience, but that was what Gabriel was trying to change.

“Couldn’t have, no one’s in this vessel, babe.   Sorry to break it to you but angels, in their true form, aren’t affected, you stubborn shit.”  This time, Gabriel sucked Sam’s bottom lip roughly and nipped.  “God, you were so beautiful like that.  You need to buck up, because whatever you’re still sore over?  Is what gave me _you_.  Aren’t you happy about that?”

The question was just that.  A point blank question, with no rhetoric.

Sam’s jaw was agape from the directness until he slowly pronounced, “Of course, I’m happy with us.”

“Then it’s done.  That’s all she wrote,” Gabriel tried to drive it home, but halfway through…he got distracted.  “Fuckin’ hell, you smell  _delicious_.”

That made the Sam and think back to what his mate’s secret exactly was.  He couldn’t help but teasingly say, “Our own little paradise, with nothing but sex, huh?  Even back then, when all we had was sex, you _really_ must have liked my scent when I was in heat to want all that.”

“Shut up, I just told you, it was more than sex.”  Gabriel couldn’t stay away from Sam’s neck a moment longer, needing damn lungfuls of the aroused, excited smell of _his_  mate, “I was just playing hard to get.”

The omega hissed when Gabriel's teeth grazed his throat and he laughed out, “You _were_ hard to get.  I h-had to go to some extreme measures.  Just to ‘get’ you.”  Sam grabbed a fistful of Gabriel’s hair and yanked until their lip collided.  When he pulled away he examined the alpha for a moment before he pondered, “But now you’re all mine.  Forever.”

Gabriel felt a shiver shoot down his spine at the look of fire behind Sam’s eyes because this was it, and his mate wasn’t just needy and desperate: he was rebellious and playful.  Which was the most amazing sight he’d ever witnessed beneath him.

“Goes double for you,” Gabriel grabbed Sam's wrist and slammed it to the bed.  “My gorgeous little omega.”

There was an actual growl in the back of Sam’s throat and the scent of slick was heavy in the air, making Gabriel’s mouth water.  His hand dove down between Sam’s legs, ecstatic he’d already snapped them naked before this, and felt the wet glide coat and drip down his fingers.  The omega tossed his head back with a gasp as Gabriel drug them along his entrance and Sam lifted his hips encouragingly.

Just for a bit though, Gabriel wanted to watch the show.  Like last time, he wanted to see Sam writhe, Sam beg for it before he completely gave in - but he never got the chance.  Now, however, there wasn’t a question of if _,_ it was a matter of when.  So being captivated by his mate’s body aching for his touch, the way Sam followed after it, desperately chasing it…well, it was stunning.

“Goddammit, Gabriel,” Sam snarled as he reached out with his free hand and tried to wrangle his alpha.  “Please!”  He glowered something awful and hissed, “In case you don’t remember, you told me I could help myself.”

“Oh, I did say that, didn’t I?”  The words were cooed and Gabriel crawled up the omega’s body, leaving himself open.  “Go ahead, Sammy.  Help yourself.”

Sam's narrowed eyes never wavered when he sunk his teeth into the meat of Gabriel’s shoulder, earning him a surprised yip.  Then he hauled him down for a mind-blowing kiss, while at the same time Sam reached between them and coated Gabriel’s cock with his own slick.  The archangel moaned unabashed into his mate's mouth when the fist wrapped around him and his hips jerked involuntarily.

“Knot me,” Sam moaned into Gabriel’s mouth, and then pushed him away and down his body, spreading his legs wide in invitation.

Gabriel countered, “Present,” while he knocked Sam’s legs to speed along the process of the omega flipping around.

Sam moved quickly, easily complying with the request - because now his heat was in full swing and his body was aching for it.  God, did Sam _want_.  And, for the first time since he could remember, he was all right with the all-consuming desire to be fucked and knotted.  He’d fought it his entire life, but right now, he was embracing it, swinging his hips in hopes his mate would satisfy the burning lust in his veins.

The alpha’s mouth went dry at the sight, because even though there was a decently long list of times they’d been together, Sam gushing, slick trickling down his legs and whining his name out in that desperate way…this could be on a whole new level.  And as much as Gabriel wanted to draw it out a little longer, wanted to pleasure Sam with his tongue, he knew right then the omega couldn’t wait.  He could tell just by his scent, let alone the glorious picture Sam had drawn out in front of him.

“Shit,” Gabriel cursed, “I hope you’re ready, because I don’t think I can hold back-”

“Finally!” Sam huffed, voice hoarse from wanton obsession as he clutched at the pillow.  “C’mon, don’t make me-”

“Shh, just relax,” the archangel ordered, because he wanted to make this good.

God, he wanted to give his mate everything he craved and more.

He grabbed the omega’s hips as his cock caught Sam’s rim and slowly slid in, inch by inch.  Hell, the thing that blew Gabriel’s mind, when he was balls deep inside his mate, was that Sam was downright starved for it.  His heat was so desperate for his cock, Gabriel hadn’t even needed the use of his grace to soothe the burn of splitting him open.

It tore a gasp from the archangel’s lungs, knowing just how badly the omega wanted him, as Sam clenched around his dick.  He was so tight, still dripping slick, and Gabriel was worried for a half-second he wouldn’t be able to please his mate because of how fucking quick _he_ was going to get off on this!  Holy shit, the physicality was almost like Sam was sucking Gabriel's dick into his body-

“Gabe-” Sam’s voice was a warning as he began to swivel his hips, needing friction, needing his mate to soothe the fever.

Knowing he wasn’t going to hurt him, Gabriel set a pace that had Sam keening and arching his back to meet every plunge into his body.  His voice and encouragements alone were enough to break Gabriel’s resolve in half and slam into him with abandon - but he wasn’t going to lose all control.  Not yet, at least.

He draped himself over Sam’s back and ran his hand through the slick covering the back of his thighs.  Then Gabriel used that hand to wrap around his omega’s pulsing cock, because his own knot was already buried inside Sam’s ass.  He fucking knew it, Gabriel was scent-drunk, hell, he was _Sam-drunk_ , and the point of this was to focus on his mate.

When Gabriel began fisting Sam’s erection, he picked up the pace and earned a breathy shout from the sudden assault of sensation.  Sam was reduced to a shuddering mess of pleas and whimpers, and soon - he was spurting cum all down Gabriel’s hand.

It couldn’t have happened at a more ideal time.  Gabriel was biting down on his lip, his knot swelling and bursting inside Sam.  Gabriel roughly grabbed the omega's hips as he road out the high and doubled over, moaning into Sam's back.

His cheek was sweaty when he peeled himself off and he heard Sam chuckle happily, which Gabriel returned with a dreamy hum.  It was always easy to pull them onto their sides like this, spooning easily, but more importantly-

This was where both were content, catching their breath, Sam feeling the relief of being sated.

This was so familiar, this was how they curled up and slept, gently caressing each other until they passed out.  Kind of like now, without the sleep bit.  

The added bonus in this position, they could _both_ cover their hands over their pup.  And right now-

“Oh, shit.  Can you feel that?”  Sam asked with a small gasp, “Are we…did we-?”

“Heh, she’s happy.”  Gabriel couldn’t contain the joy from his voice, either - feeling the energy and grace brushing up against the surface of Sam’s swollen middle.  “She’s really, really happy.”

“She responds to energy and emotion, you know?“  Gabriel pressed a kiss to Sam’s back and explained in a hushed tone, “It’s the bonding part.”

“ _What_?”  The omega was confused, because what happened was definitely _not_ bonding with his pup-

“No, no!  You weirdo.  I _know_ what you’re thinking, it ain’t that,” the archangel tsk’d with a sneer.  “The pregnancy heats are a time for the parents to bond.  Whole point’a them.  Make sure Mama and Papa are _close_ for when the little one pops out.  To make sure they‘re safe when they come into the world.  Like _way_ back in the day, when having two parents instead of one upped their chances of survival once born.”

“But…we _are_ close.”  Sam’s brows furrowed together at that because that wasn't what he'd been taught - but Gabriel knew much more about origins than him, being as old as time helped, of course.  Oh, but nothing could wipe the smile off Sam's face, because he could feel his daughter…saying hi.  Kind of.

“Yeah, we are close, Sammy.  Maybe by our standards.  But not by 'normal' standards.  We ain't exactly taking Lamaze classes and reading 'What to Except when Expecting.'  Maybe it’s because of the stress of our lives.  We really do need to be together more.  You need to be reassured more.  It’s my fault, my magic tricks and disappearing acts make the pup feel-”

“No.”  He stopped Gabriel in his tracks.  “You’ve always done the best you could.  And…well, maybe this is a good thing.”  The word played on his tongue when he said, “Bonding.”

“Heh.”  Gabriel pressed a kiss against the omega’s shoulder blade.  “You know what I can’t believe?  Where the fuck the time has gone.  Like, seriously,” he emphasized his point by smoothing his hand over the actual round shape of Sam’s belly, “When did you get so big?  I’m not being a dick, I’m totally serious right now!  God, I feel like we should have gotten rid of my brother _months_ ago.  ...So I could really enjoy this.”

Sam detected a small hint of remorse in Gabriel’s scent that threw him for a loop.  He actually whipped his head back to look at the alpha with wide eyes.

“What’s going on?  Why are you blaming yourself for all this shit that’s not your fault?”  Sam was being completely honest.  “Gabriel.  There’s _nothing_ we could have changed.  You’re not supposed to be the one who apologizes.  For friggin _anything_.  You’re supposed to be an overconfident ass.”

With burst of laughter, Gabriel snorted and inquired, “That what you think of me, kiddo?”  But then he paused, because the gravity had been weighing on him for a while.  “I just…wish I had done some shit differently, is all.  C’mon, everyone is allowed to think that now and then.  But there’s a lot of crap that I would’ve done for you.  I want to do better by you.  I know I caused you some heartbreak, and...that fact has been eating at me lately.”

“That’s all in the past, Gabe.”  Sam’s voice was a mummer, because what happened, happened.  “What we have now?  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Everyone has a couple bumps along the way, you didn’t-”

“But I _did_ ,” he confessed and rested his cheek against his omega.  “And I ran.  Like I _always_ do.  I put you through so much.  Hell, I turned you into yer brother - rah-rah Team Alcoholics, and you put up with it and still had faith in me.  And if I just…stepped up when I should have.  I feel like we’d be done-zo with everything now.”

Gabriel soothed circles around the bump that was their daughter and commented, “We could be spending _this_ with no looming shadow.  We _could_ be doing our victory lap.  Sam, I-”

“Shut up.  If we weren’t tied together, I’d make you do it myself,” Sam’s voice was urgent, because he didn’t want his mate to feel like this.  He didn’t…want him to feel any of the doubt Sam, himself, had experienced.  On any scale.  “I love you.  With all my goddamn heart.  And we get a break.  We get to be together, bond, like the pup wants - or so you say - and then we go get ourselves a win.  So, stop with this sob story, okay?  Where did my mate go?  I want _him_ back.”

The alpha nodded and snickered, peppering kisses along the drying skin of Sam’s back and clucked his tongue.  “Damn, I hit the jackpot.  I love you, my mouthy little omega.  And my sweet, sweet little girl.  I hope she get my good looks and your luscious locks.  None’a your sass, or we‘re gonna have a drama queen on our hands.”

“She’ll be perfect.”  There was a giddiness in Sam’s energy, brought on by the swirl in his tummy.  “I think she’s gonna be a troublemaker, though.  I can feel it.”

“So can I.”  Gabriel agreed readily.  “But that’s inevitable.  Comes from both of us.”

“Yeah.  So we really were doomed from the start, weren’t we?”  Sam shook his head and stole a glance back to see Gabriel damn near glowing.

“Abso-friggin-lutley.  No way out of it.”  He added with a dash of his own mischief, “Oo, teaching her to channel that trouble will be so much fun!”


	5. Chapter 5

Kali was perched up against the headboard with a book cradled in her hands when there was a knock at the door.  She glanced up to see Dean peering in and smiled, flagging him on to enter.  There was a stumble in his step, clearly he’d been drinking, and he collapsed on the edge of the bed.

Struggling to right himself, he coughed into his fist awkwardly and asked, “So…how ya feeling?”

A grin tugged at the corners of her lips, because out of all the humans she’d met over the centuries, she’d grown particularly fond of his one.  He was devotion, righteous conviction and the downfall of humanity’s unfortunate and unfounded self-loathing mixed up in a bottle.  Plus, he was rather charming and amusing, in a childish sort of way.  He was her first human...friend.  No matter how foreign the word seemed, Kali knew that's what Dean was to her.  Intriguing.

“Well, sleep is an interesting phenomena I haven’t experienced in some time.  Dreaming, even more bizarre.  At least it was just that, no nightmares, as I’ve heard you and your brother speak of.”  She tilted her head and asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“It sucks, ya know.  Getting zapped by an unborn power keg.  I know how Cas felt when he was workin’ back up to full angel power.  Jus’ wanted you to know that if you needed anything, holler.”  He shrugged his shoulder, slightly hunched over.

Kali closed the book and set it on the nightstand.  “That’s not all you came for.  Don’t bullshit me, Dean, I can see right through you.”

His jaw dropped, just for a second, before Dean was stumbling out, “Uh.  Yeah, guess you could, couldn’t you?”  The alpha chuckled and sighed, “Do you think we have a chance?”

She examined him closely, because this was Dean coming to her in quiet confidence.  He wasn’t going to his boyfriend with this, nor his brother.  Or even their surrogate father.  Because all of those people?  May give him false hope.  Dean _knew_ that Kali wouldn’t lie, she would never sugarcoat anything.  And what was more?  Was that this human trusted her enough to bring up his insecurities like this.

“We do.”  Kali answered, however there was a ‘but’ hanging in the air.  “I wouldn’t be here with you on a suicide mission.  Give me a little more credit than that.  I think we have all the tools to succeed.  I just think we need to refine the way we go about our grand finale.”

Dean slowly met her gaze, let go where he’d been sucking on his bottom lip to ask, “How’d you refine it?”

“It doesn’t matter, because it won’t happen.”  She didn’t bother to hide the annoyance from her voice - they could speak freely here.  “But I think the idea of Sam calling Lucifer followed by a sneak attack and then us overwhelming him is the _next_ best idea.  Still, I think it’s fifty, fifty.  It all depends on how prepared the Devil is for _us_.”

“I just…don’t get it.”  The alpha’s voice was hushed, “If you could use your one ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ card, then never do it again, wouldn’t you?  To save the damn world?”

The goddess sighed and attempted to reason with, “You love Castiel, don’t you?”

Dean blushed red for a second, which she didn’t understand because of how obvious it was, but he nodded and she took it as her cue to continue.

“Now, I know you’re both alphas.  But imagine if you were gifted with a child.  The love you two had for each other created a tiny, innocent life.  But this small, unborn pup?  Those others like the baby before, had a history of creating chaos.  Tearing apart cities, being murdered in cold blood because they were too powerful.  Because they were abandoned by their parents, couldn't be controlled with their unimaginable strength.”  Kali made sure Dean was paying attention, “Now, if you were holding a life like this inside you, you loved and cared for it just as much as you did your mate, would you even think, for a second, about giving it a small taste of what those who’ve come before experienced?”

With wide eyes, Dean was left stuttering and gaping.  Eventually, he came up with, “Fuck no!  That’s not that we’re doing, Kali-”  He shook his head and vehemently urged, “God, Sammy’s pup would never end up like that!  Fuck, she’d just a-”

“Rare breed of nephilim,” Kali supplied.  “And _that’s_ their history.  Can you understand your brother’s hesitancy?  Why he doesn’t even want to, under any circumstance - even for a moment, let their child take part in the long history of what happens with nephilim?”

“Jesus,” the alpha wiped both hands down his face and groaned, “I’m a fucking asshole.  I didn’t even…I-”

Kali scooted closer and squeezed Dean’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry too much.  It makes me a fucking asshole, too.  I wish like you he’d do it...just once.  To end Lucifer.  In your words, use that ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ card.  But that explanation I gave you?  Is what Sam’s feeling.  We can’t undermine it, simply respect it.”

“Am I crazy to think that I saw Gabe consider it?”  His voice was an almost-silent muttering, like he was worried his brother may hear, no matter how far apart they were.

“No,” Kali matched his volume.  “I think Gabriel would do anything to protect Sam.  Anything to protect the pup.  Even if…” she let the silence speak for itself.  “Your brother has certainly changed Gabriel.  When Loki and I were together, he wouldn’t have hesitated.  Hell, he’d love nothing more to get his hands one, wield their power to suit his own needs.  Think of this as progress.  He’s a changed man, a…better man.”

“You sound disappointed,” Dean said with a grin, much to Kali’s dismay.

“Heh, I must admit, at the hotel I did not find who I was expecting.”  She tossed her hair over her shoulder when she added, “To find him mated, and with child?  With his true mate?  I was jealous.  I only offered my help at first to be out of his debt.  But when I got to know you idiots, well, you grew on me.”

“You’re not the first!”  The drunken Winchester proudly announced, “We’ve got that affect on people.  Sorry for your loss.”  He added in a wink for good measure.  “I think I’ll apologize to Sammy.  Now that you put it like that I-”

Kali’s arm darted out and grabbed the other alpha’s wrist before he could get up with a startling, “No!”

“Huh?”  Dean looked confused but sat back down on the bed and said, “I thought it would be good to iron things out…I mean-”

“No, no, I mean, it’s good you want to work things out,” Kali laughed before she said, “Let’s just say you don’t want to go up there right now.”

“Aw, fuck.  They’re having make-up sex?”  He made a face and groaned dramatically.

“Not quite.”  Her tone was suspicious and had Dean narrowing his eyes.  But before he could demand an answer, she stroked his back and explained, “Gabriel sent me a message.  They’ll be indisposed while I’m healing.  Sam was being defensive for a reason, Dean, so I don’t think you’ll need to iron things out at all.”

“I ain’t got all day.  Spill, Kali,” Dean attempted to snap his fingers, but his coordination was off and his digits just kind of mashed together.

“Your brother is having a pregnancy heat.  That’s why he was a little hot under the collar.  Hormones running wild, and such.”

“Huh?”  He asked dumbly, “That…happens?”

“Clearly, you didn’t pay attention in biology class.”  Kali rolled her eyes heavily.  “Yes, Winchester, it does.  It’s decently common, so unless Sam comes down of his own accord, I wouldn’t try to make contact.  Unless you wanna be scarred for life.”

Dean grumbled out, “Didn’t have the chance to take bio, too busy hunting,” before blowing through his lips, “Well.  Shit.  Looks like I’m going on a bender,” and standing up.

“No,” Kali warned with a slight edge to her voice.  “You’re not.”

Penchantly, Dean crossed his arms and glared, even though he was swaying in his step.  “You gonna stop me?”

“I won’t.  But remember, you have someone important here, too.”  She stretched back out and picked up her book.  “You two are just as meant to be as the fools upstairs.  I don’t know what you’re waiting on, but your angel?  He’s patient.  But he’s not an idiot.  Don’t make him wait on your childish tantrums.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?!”  The alpha demanded, because, okay, maybe he had been distancing himself a little more lately, but it was only because of his previous guilt and all the uncertainty that came with the territory of it being the end, and-

“I’m a Goddess.  I can see things others can’t.  Do I have to remind you that I was the one to discover Sam was pregnant?”  She challenged him boldly.  “Lifelines.  True mates.  You can see the way the _strings_ intersect, the threads intertwine.  You were so desperate to get him back, you’ve confessed your love, but you’ve kept everything so,” she spat out the word, “Vanilla.”

Enjoying every second of Dean’s horror, Kali continued, “The Dean Winchester I’ve heard about doesn’t hold back.  Now, I want you to show that angel just how much you love him.  Allow me to finish this book, you drink some water and sober up.  Then I’ll go help Bobby with research for the night and enjoy his bullshit-free company.  You get your room back, and you do something about it.  Am I making myself clear?”

Dean’s spine went pin-straight as he clamored out, “Yes, ma’am!”

“Good boy,” she purred and made a shooing motion.  “Now, give me a bit and go set the mood.”

Kali thoroughly delighted in the way Dean turned on his heels and marched out like a good little soldier.

She tossed her head with a small burst of laughter and gave herself a pat on the back.  If they weren’t getting the picture?  Apparently, they needed a push in the right direction.  Kali was happy to give them the kick in the ass they needed.  Now she was musing over how the drunk Winchester was romancing the angel.

Oh well.  She was sure to hear about it later and she was also at a good spot in the novel before her.  As long as everything worked out in the end, she couldn’t care less.

Although Kali _did_ care about setting things right, since it looked like no one could do seem to do anything without her lead!  How the hell they managed to get things accomplished before she joined the team was beyond her.

\----------------------------

In small snapshots out of time like this, Sam knew he was lucky to have an angelic mate because no matter how fit, no matter how alpha he’d always pretend to be, his heat was absolutely unforgiving.  Gabriel had the stamina to fulfill his omega’s every need even when Sam barely had it in himself.

Like right now.

Sam had been hungry, had been dying for the view of Gabriel under him, and while he rode his cock - going on round three, now - he was basically bracing himself while the archangel fucked up into him.  He was pounding into Sam, arching up and off the bed as his knot began to tug, rubbing the omega’s tight rim just on the right side of rough.

Still fighting to fuck himself down on the alpha’s cock, Sam was damn near breathless, fighting for air and covered in sweat.

But Gabriel?  Gabriel was grinning with his nails biting into his mate’s hips, moaning as he felt even more slick gush passed his half-formed knot and adding to the mess on his stomach and thighs.  He _loved_ his omega like this.

Lips kiss-swollen, eyes heavy with nothing but desire, scent overwhelmed with pleasure and still aching for more.

He abruptly pulled Sam down, fully-sheathed inside him and ground his hips so deep inside, it made him yelp.  Just for a second, Gabriel bent his knees and pitched Sam back far enough to rest his back against them, the omega’s legs spread obscenely wide.  Gabriel gently rocked his hips, knowing he was almost tied his mate and took a second to enjoy the view, the sight of his cock completely buried and Sam’s jaw dropped - ready to beg.

But Gabriel still had a hold of the omega’s hips, and used his strength to move the man, to grind up even deeper inside him, and it killed the words on Sam’s tongue.

“Feel that?” Gabriel asked as he moved, and Sam nodded eagerly, even though he wanted to reach out to touch, he was caught up in the sensation.  “My knot growing by the second?  Burying deeper and deeper in that hot ass?”

“Y-yeah,” Sam’s voice was downright pornographic as he locked eyes and rolled his hips in time with Gabriel’s, “So close, please, so...”

“I know,” the archangel purred, this time lifting Sam off his dick as far as he could and slamming him back down.  “Want you just like this.  So I can watch you cum.”

Sam grunted in time with each plummet, feeling strangely out in the open and vulnerable in this position, but he’d give his alpha anything he wanted.  It was another odd part of his heat - his omega brain going into overdrive and needed to please his alpha.  But right now, it didn’t matter if he felt on display - he was riding that brink and he needed release.

Even though it was out of his hands, he knew that if he moaned, “Gabriel!” with enough urgency behind it, his mate would give in.

Oh, and _he did_.

The fire in the alpha’s eyes could’ve lit up the room as he upped the pace and Sam tried to grab hold of his mate’s hips to balance.  He knew he wouldn’t fall, but he need to grab hold of something, and he moved just enough to capture Gabriel’s flank, he couldn’t let go.

Sam was being pulled into the undertow, the rush of his orgasm forcing a shout from his chest as his body continued to be ruthlessly fucked into.  It was the perfect kind of overwhelming, knowing from the pressure inside his body his mate’s pleasure was just a few moments away while he was heady and dazed.

Gabriel was praising him, his hand gliding through the cum Sam had spurted up onto his own stomach from the reclined angle.  Sam secretly loved it when his mate praised him, even though he’d always try and brush it off.  But those whispered sweet nothings and the dirty way he’d worship him in bed?  Sam was completely obsessed with it, he hung on every word and savored it.

“Fuck, Gabriel, I can-”

“You can feel it?”  He purred, voice throaty and Sam recognized that tone was Gabriel fighting to hold on.

Which made Sam want to fight harder to get him off.  His knot was beginning to swell, so the omega clenched down on it, making his grip around Gabriel tighter than before.  Even though Sam was being manhandled, it didn’t change the fact that he still had control of his body.  He could still squeeze his muscles, which tore a surprised gasp from Gabriel, who couldn’t hold back as he poured into Sam’s body.

He also couldn’t hold back, in the way that he needed to kiss him.

No matter how they fucked these days (or made love) the second Gabriel had knotted and claimed Sam he could not stay away from his lips.

This time, he surged up, wrapped his arms around his omega and pulled them back down to the bed, together.  Gabriel was still moaning, still riding out his orgasm but his fingers were tangled in Sam’s hair and he needed this connection.  And who was Sam to say no?

In fact, he couldn’t stop from smiling into the kiss as Gabriel’s hips finally rested, halting all movement, and they just stared at each other.

“ _Damn_ , you’re beautiful.”

Gabriel said it so offhandedly that it actually made Sam laugh and shake his head.  “And _you’re_ ungodly hot,” he countered, biting the archangel’s lip and gasping when he rolled his pelvis.  “A-and good at this.”

“What?”  The alpha couldn’t help but tease his mate, “Sex?  Or pleasing you?”

“B-both, maybe?”  Sam shuddered as Gabriel shifted just enough so that his knot was tugging on Sam’s hyper-sensitive rim.  “Now you’re being a jerk-”

“No,” Gabriel began, brushing his nose to scent his omega and exhaling a long breath, “I just wanted to make sure that I was doing my job.  That my mate was satisfied.”

“Mm.  Always am with you inside me.”  Then Sam paused, and asked with a beat of hesitation, “Will you…do it like you used to?  In the beginning?”

With his head tilted to the side, Gabriel asked with more curiosity than confusion, “Do what?  Need to be a little more specific than ‘it,’ kiddo.”

“Use your grace,” he said with significance.  “When your knot goes down…will you use your grace like you used to.  To…remind me of you.”

Although he was surprised at first, a wicked smile took the place of it when Gabriel caught on and asked, “You wanna keep my cum warm for me, Sammy?  Is that it?”

“Maybe it’ll help with my heat,” Sam’s voice dropped to a husky tone and he didn’t fall for the archangel’s trap, he gave it right back.  “It felt good to have you inside me, even when you weren’t there.  Want it again.”

“But I am here,” he mouthed along Sam’s neck, but was secretly delighted by the idea.  “You just can’t get enough, can you?”

“Not going to deny it.”  Sam nearly purred against the touch and ground against Gabriel’s still-swollen knot, earning him a breathy moan.  “Are _you_ gonna deny me?”

“Never, Sammy.  Never could, never will.”  He rolled back on top of him and began rocking his hips, blood flowing back to his cock in an instant.  “Are you being a tease because you want more cum?  Is that it?”

With his eyes squeezed tightly closed, Sam whimpered and nodded.  He met the snap of Gabriel’s hips by lifting his back off the bed and keened as the archangel sucked roughly at his neck.  It didn’t take much, just the thought of Sam’s request and the hunger his mate had for him, and Gabriel was spurting inside his omega again.

Although he was hot and lit up with pleasure, he made sure to collapse on Sam’s side, rather than right on top of him while he rode out the orgasm.  This time it was Sam who chased the alpha to glue their lips together and pulled Gabriel’s chin up to do it, moaning, “Told you, so fuckin’ hot, Gabriel-” into his mouth.

Gabriel was damn near gasping for air, but he eagerly returned Sam’s kisses as he basked in the afterglow.  “Mm, no, that’s you.”

With a chuckle, Sam grabbed the hair at the nape of Gabriel’s neck, tugging him far enough away to meet his eyes when he stressed, “Trying to tell you how lucky I am.  Learn to take a compliment.”

“Damn, you’re sassy.”  The wide grin on Gabriel’s face would not be wiped off, because the small hints of kindling behind Sam’s gaze were just waiting to be struck by Gabriel and a match.  He loved this.

“Gotta keep up with you, don’t I?”

“I’d say you’re doing a helluva job,” he commended, and relaxed against his body.  “I’m lovin’ every second.”  Gabriel caressed down Sam’s sweat-covered neck, to his chest, and lower when he offhandedly said, “Don’t know how we’re gonna keep this up for a week, though.”

“You’ll take care of me.”  Sam said it with all the confidence in the world without a beat of hesitation.  Like he was talking about the weather or something, not nonstop demanding, Olympic-like sex.

“Yeah,” Gabriel responded a bit slowly, but not with uncertainty.  He did watch his mate with interest though, wondering what had flipped the switch between his utter terror of being in heat to willingly acceptance and eagerly partaking.  It didn’t matter.  Either way, Gabriel was thrilled.  “’Course I will.”  Then he asked, “Whatcha say to a shower after this?  I can look around and see if there’s some food to rustle up too.”

“Mm, we can do that,” Sam confirmed then gave him a quick look while he appeared almost shy.  “Will you-?”

“Damn right, I will,” Gabriel instantly picked up on the question with a shark-like grin.  “After all, a shower _and_ eating?  That’s a damn long time for me not to be inside you.”  He used the taunting quality that echoed back, a stark yet playful reminder, of the very beginning of their relationship, “Can’t have you forgetting, now, can we?”

Sam’s eyes lit up with the makings of desire and he licked his lips.  “You’re right.  Wouldn’t want to think this is a dream, or anything.”

“Exactly,” the alpha stole an open mouth kiss before relaxing against his mate while they still had the chance.

Moments like this were fleeting and Sam’s heat was unforgiving.  Gabriel was downright surprised by how insatiable the omega was, and he was trying to figure out if there were any…underlying reasons for it.  Not that he was complaining, nope, he wasn’t complaining for even a second.

Still, Gabriel didn’t want Sam to run himself ragged, and at his pace there was a good chance he may.  Even though the archangel didn’t want to use his grace to change a thing about something that was natural, he couldn’t let his mate drive himself into the ground.  He’d think on it later.  For now, he needed to enjoy this, he could analyze the situation when Sam was finally asleep, not clinging to him with his scent _this_ fantastic.

No, this was a treat, Gabriel would let himself happily indulge.

\----------------------------

The situation was ass-backwards, because Dean had a tall glass of water in front of him instead of a fifth of liquor gearing up for a nerve-racking situation.  This was not how a Winchester handled stress, but he trusted Kali, and if what she said was true?  

He couldn’t be drunk for it.  He needed to man-up (which unfortunately meant sober-up) and deal with this head on.

Which…that, all by itself, was stupid.

Dean knew he was self-sabotaging, it was damn near his lifestyle, and after confessing to Cas, their fight, finding him again and spending a couple nights together - that’s kind of where things...hung in limbo.  His betrayal of the angel didn’t give him the right to love him anymore, or that’s how Dean saw it.

It was all so skewed _._  It felt fucked up, but what the goddess said scared him.  That Cas was patient, but not an idiot; how long would he remain at arm’s length before Dean got his shit together?  They couldn’t stay the way they were, but every time someone turned tender, every time they floated towards the ‘L’ word again, Dean felt the uprisings of shame.  It was bitter, cold and it stabbed him right in the heart as a reminder of what he'd done to Cas.

Kali suddenly gave him a reason to overcome it.

It was a shock to Dean’s system, to know…holy hell.  That they…could they _really_ be true mates?  Even though a pair of alphas together was a heavy social faux pas, even though an angel and a human was downright blasphemy, Dean didn't give a fuck about either of those things!  Especially if Cas didn't, it was only _his_ opinion that mattered.  

Obviously, Dean had never felt this way about anyone.  He’d thought love to be a weakness until he saw the life, the fight it put into his brother.  Then he finally determined it could be the complete opposite: love was a force to be reckoned with, something to fight _for_.  Heh, Dean had never been so happy to be proven wrong.

While Dean was in a pit of Cas-could-do-so-much-better, he still couldn’t bring himself to let the angel go, nor make another move.  The catch-twenty-two was killing Dean!  Probably Cas, in return. 

Fuck.  What had he been doing to the angel?!  The more Dean thought about it, the more he wondered why Cas hadn’t left his ass sooner!  Who stuck around for a night of casual touch, of ‘I’ll see you in the morning’ after the high-stress bullshit he’d put him through?  Hell, if Gabriel hadn’t been involved, it would have been Dean’s fault his grace was ripped out, torn away - and for what?

With his hand wrapped around the glass, Dean brought it to his lips and chugged the cool water with determination all in one go.  Then he was up on his feet, headed towards the sink for a refill the moment he finished.  Hopefully a full bladder wouldn’t distract them, but, dammit, he had to make it up to Kali too.

He’d gone to her about the end of the world, because he trusted her and thought of her as a friend (and a surprisingly damn good one), and she’d pulled the rug out from under his feet and…things were different.  Kali knew him, knew _them_ , she had a whole extraordinary skill set that was all Pagan magic, even though she was laid up in bed.  Maybe this was an awakening and the best time for Dean to get his shit together.

While he still could.

After all, they never knew what was going to happen once Kali was healed, once Sam was…finished with his heat.

Dean frowned when he turned off the faucet, his mind lingering on that fact.  He didn’t know about these things.  Mostly because he never in a million years thought his brother was going to have a friggin pup.  When Sam presented, it honestly left them all stunned.  But Dean remembered that day with unforgettable clarity, he remembered rushing his little brother away from their Dad to Bobby’s.

They were young and, more or less, totally in the dark about _omega_ biology.  The family was filled with alphas!  No one bothered teaching anything that had to do with the other secondary-gender, sometimes John even made slurs about omega males being the lesser.  Dean knew deep down that his Father might treat Sam differently if he found out, but Dean knew Bobby wouldn’t.  He had to take care of Sammy, Bobby would help, would understand what their Dad couldn't know!  What they needed was knowledge.  Or even more importantly: how to hide it.

While both alphas promised the terrified young omega there was nothing wrong with his designation, that he was still Sammy and no less of a man, they needed to make sure others in the hunting community didn’t find out.  Because there were some scary assholes out there who could hurt him, and it sucked but these were the cold facts of the world.

So Dean plunged into studying every single thing he could about male omegas to keep his brother safe, but…anything having to do with pregnancy?  He knew zip.  Nada.  Because…it wasn’t like he expected it to come up.  Sam lived in hiding, he wasn’t going to get knocked up because he became ashamed of what he was, no matter what Dean said to help him.  That's not what he'd wanted to happen, Dean had wanted Sam's _safety_ , not any self-loathing crap!

Dean was in the dark, it was news to the him that heats when you were pregnant was even a thing.  He couldn't study everything to know about omegas, when he was still studying shape-shifters, rugurus and ghouls!  They were just friggin kids...   
  
Regardless, Kali being down for the count while Sam was in…gross.  He wasn’t going to think of him and Gabriel like that…  

Anyway, the timing worked.  This small interlude, the way they were hanging around and waiting, right now?  It gave him no room, no excuses to avoid Cas and _not_ set things right.

Dean chugged a quarter of the newly filled cup and set it down on the counter, gripping the sink.  He sighed heavily, looking out the kitchen window and catching his own reflection instead of the yard.  Even he had to admit that he appeared terrified, but that’s exactly what his gut was filled with, and Dean needed to quell it before he even called on Cas.

After all, a wham-bam real love confession (when you weren’t hitting the road to be an angel condom) while being soaked in the scent of terror?  Probably not as effective as it could be.

The alpha scrubbed a hand down his face as he heard the padding of feet and turned around to see Kali’s figure in the doorway.  She was leaning casually, watching him, and looked strangely out of place wearing a borrowed hoodie and an oversize pair of sweatpants.  Hell, she looked almost human...Dean _wouldn't_  mention that though, no doubt she'd deck him in the face.

“How was your book?”  Dean croaked out and let her approach, until she was directly in front of him, analyzing him.

A grin began to spread on her face and her voice dropped down to a quiet, “You’re going to do it.”  Then it transformed into an honest smile.  “I’m proud of you, kid.”

“Yeah, well, ain’t gonna be pretty when I piss myself from all the water I’ve been drinking,” he complained under his breath.  “But, yeah.  Once I chill the fuck out, I’ll call him.  Just…, ya know, gotta chill the fuck out.  And sober up more.  Gotta do it right, like you said.”

Kali’s long eyelashes fluttered shut and both her palms raised to cup Dean’s cheeks.  A rush of warmth surged through his body, through his veins and suddenly-

Everything was clear.  Everything was crisp.  He was alert, completely lucid and Dean knew she’d down the angel equivalent of a mojo-cleanse.

“Kali!”  He reached out to steady her, if need be.  “You’re supposed to be resting, _not_ using your powers on a jackass like me!”

“Hey, I’ll use my power when and where I want,” she countered, and pushed his assistance away.  “Besides, that was child’s play.”

Even though she didn’t need help standing, there was a bit of breathlessness to her statement, but the goddess _needed_ to do this.  Dean was moping, she could scent it from the hallway, and if her internal locator was right - Cas was just wandering aimlessly around the junkyard on guard duty.  They needed to get this moving along, these pining idiots.

“Thank you,” Dean urged and grabbed her shoulder, “I…won’t blow this off.  I’ve been trying to put together what I’m gonna say and crap.  It’s just difficult.”

With a mischievous eyebrow, she asked, “Why do you have to say anything?  Just shove him up against one of those crappy cars and-”

Dean snorted, “I can see why you and Gabriel were together,” and rolled his eyes.  “’Cause I gotta get him to forgive me for the shit I pulled and-”

“You’re lucky you’re cute.”  Kali took another step in and patted his arm, “There’s nothing to forgive, at least in his mind.  Get on with it, I’ve vacated the premises.  I’ll be hanging out with Bobby.  And avoiding both you _and_ your brother’s rooms.  So don’t fuck this up.”

“Thanks again,” he flashed a tight smile and then asked, “Junkyard?”

“Mmhm.”

“I’ve got an angel to find.”

\---------------------

Gabriel was hopping downstairs on the hunt for something light to feed Sam while he was putting on his pajamas.  It was getting late, and after a romp in the shower, hopefully his heat was quelled until the morning.  Or, the middle of the night.  Anyway, the kid needed something to eat.

But on the way down, he spotted something curious.

Dean Winchester, stomping it out through the front door, as though he was going off to wage war in the front lawn.

Gabriel’s brow furrowed as he watched for a second, and then finished his climb.

When he turned the corner into the kitchen, he was decently surprised to find Kali leaning heavily on one of the counters and then stumbling to the table.

“Woah, woah, woah!”  Gabriel jumped out to catch her and sit her down, demanding, “What’s going on?!  I thought you were healing!  Is it not working, did the pup seriously-”

“Jesus, Gabriel!  I’m fine!”  She swatted at him, trying to gain back her personal space before she explained, “I overestimated how much R and R I got today.  Helped Dean out by pulling the booze from his bloodstream.  He’s on a mission to finally fix things with a certain angel, and I told him he needed to be sober.  Guess it took more out of me than I thought.”

Gabriel crossed his arms and examined her with scrutiny because…it was downright baffling how much the goddess in front of him had changed.  Back in the day, she wouldn’t have handed off _any_ of her power to a single soul, even Gabriel, _especially_ if she was vulnerable.  She would be hoarding it in deep hiding.  But she had just used some of her dwindled power, all for the sake of those two getting together?  It was absolute insanity!

“Proud of you.”  Gabriel wanted to make it short and sweet so she didn’t get pissed off.  “You’ve grown a lot, Kali.  You’ve got a helluva heart now.  These annoying humans, tend to get under your skin, don’t they?”

She snorted and laughed out, “Yeah, they do.  Unfortunately.  Never should have joined you on this suicide mission.  Look what you fools have done to me.”  It was delivered with a smile and no malice whatsoever.  Kali went on to ask, “How’s the baby mama?  Grumpy, I’m guessing?”

“Oh, sure was at first,” Gabriel confirmed, pulling out a chair to sit next to her.  With a waggle of his eyebrows, he added in, “But after a while, he was _quite_ enthusiastic, if ya catch my drift.”

“Didn’t need to hear that,” Kali deadpanned and shook her head.  “But it’s better than his previous bitchiness.  I’m surprised, though.  I’ve never heard of a human carrying a nephilim to experience a pregnancy heat.  They’re protected, they don’t have morning sickness or _any_ of the usual symptoms.”

“Yeah.”  The archangel drew in a sharp breath, before a long pause.  “I was…wondering about that, too.  Even though there isn’t much to go on, or anything, you and me are thinkin’ along the same lines.  Sammy’s pregnancy should be smooth sailing and _this_ wrench?  Is just that.  It _shouldn’t_ be happening.  I didn’t want to mention that to Sam, freak him out or anything, but what are your thoughts?”

Kali noticed the almost cautious way Gabriel was speaking.  He was nervous, not only because he was being a father, but because he was worried about Sam’s reaction to all this.  There were nothing but egg shells surround the pair at all times, and this was just another layer to add to the barrier.

“I don’t know,” she admitted honestly.  “I think the pup could have a mind of her own.  Maybe she’s trying to say something?  Maybe…” Kali was taking a stab in the dark, “maybe she agrees with your mate.  Maybe…she wants to be a normal pup.”

“Fuck.”  Gabriel collapsed backwards in the chair and groaned.

“Or, what I think is even _more_ likely, since your little girl can’t think yet and can only go off fight or flight commands,” Kali leaned in towards him with a pointed look, “I think this is _Sam’s_ biology wanting her to be a normal pup.  He has grace inside him, Gabe.  If he thinks about it so much?  If he prays and channels it?  I personally would bet money _Sam_ caused this.”

That caused the alpha’s jaw to drop and to openly gawk, but…it made sense.  It made so much sense.

“You’re right.”  The archangel’s grumbled.  “All that preoccupation, all that stress and all that internal pleading.  He actually harnessed her power himself without realizing it,” Gabriel shook his head at the irony of it all.  “Heh, it’s the fucking last thing Sammy wants to do, and then he does just that on accident.”

“I don’t want to be that person, Gabriel,” Kali spoke softly, but with enough force to grab his attention.  “Think about her power, that mere _wishes_  from her Dad- hell, probably in passing - have thrown him into heat like _this_?  The sooner, and the more fool-proof Lucifer is dealt with, the better.  Because Sam didn’t even know that he did caused what’s happening and why.  You may need time to work with him, so something like this won't happen in the future if he's so adamant.  He can tap into her power _so_ easily, dammit Gabriel, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it!  This connection is the connection that would end our problems forever, a bond this strong isn't merely rare, it _never_ happens.  Don’t say anything, don’t get worked up and bitchy with me.  Just…think about it.”

Gabriel didn’t.  He kept his lips sealed and stood up, moving to the cupboards for what he came into the kitchen for in the first place.  He needed to find Sam something to eat.

But this revelation?  It changed everything.  And he knew Kali was right.

No matter how bad it sucked.  And now there was a very different _something_ he needed to sit with when Sam fell asleep.  This changed the whole ballgame, because their pup was already involved more than ever.  Even though Sam was in the dark.

\---------------------

Normally, Castiel was difficult to spot because he was soundless and cautious - especially when keeping guard.

Yet this time, he was standing boldly under one of the lights hanging in the salvage yard, trench coat kicking up in the slight breeze as he stared out into the night.  He was still well within the warding, but out in the open where anyone could have seen him and it made Dean wonder if that was the point.

If the angel was possibly waiting for him.

Dean didn’t want to catch him off guard and end up with a steel fist around his throat, so he made sure his strides were more like stomps as he approached, hands jammed in his pockets.  All the while, he willed his heart to stop beating out of his chest.

Just when he was within hearing distance, Cas called out, “How is Kali faring?”

“Kali?”  Dean repeated, finding it strange that was the first thing the angel would bring up.

“Yes,” he turned around so they were face to face.  “I know you two have…grown to be close friends.  I’d only assume you’ve checked in on her,” he said, strangely neutral.

Dean did a double-take, because the way he phrased it…was the angel _jealous_?  That might explain why Cas hadn’t made a move himself.  After all, there was lost time where she’d joined the crew and when they’d found the angel.  Or when Cas was bedridden and Dean and Kali were on missions together - then suddenly, the Goddess _was_  on Team Free Will with a gold star under her belt.  But the gold star was for finding Cas!

He debated which way to play it out, and decided to go with, “She’s zapped.  Reading, hanging out with Bobby.  Giving advice and shit.”  He ended the last phrase with a rueful chuckle.  “Part of the reason I came out here to find you, actually.”

Cas tilted his head and squinted, “What does that mean?”

“It means…” Dean took in a deep breath and then glanced around to their surroundings.

Did he want to talk out here where they had absolute privacy?  Or did he want to take advantage of their room?  He was at odds with himself, because, yeah, maybe a chat would be nice instead of falling into bed and making out or something - which they were good at.  Talking, on the other hand, needed some work.

“Are you still…willing to put up with me.”  He didn’t say it to Cas, he said it to the ground because he didn’t have the guts to meet his gaze.  “I’m trying to say that nothing’s changed, I still love you, even though I haven’t been showing it like I should.  And…fuck, Cas, I’m no good at this.  That’s why I haven’t-”

He didn’t know where he was going, maybe he should have planned better than just word-vomiting and looking like a dumbass.

Very suddenly, there were shoes in his sight, and Cas lifted Dean's chin - blue eyes just a breath away.

“I’ve been praying to hear you say those words again,” the angel admitted in a rush.  “I thought…something changed.  I thought that maybe you’d never come around or perhaps you’d given up.”

“Nothing’s changed.”  Dean repeated, floored by the emotion in Cas’ eyes, because the same feelings he had were reflected in the other alpha’s gaze.  He had to take a step back, gather his bearing and take Cas’ hands.  “I thought I ruined things, okay?  I thought you’d never trust me again.  I thought, okay, maybe we could get away with something easy.  Start things over slow.  But then I thought it’d never work anyway.”

“I…wondered why...that during the nights we spent together, you never brought it up.  I’d hoped it would have been the first thing you said, since it was one of the last things I heard from you.  But when all you did was kiss me, I assumed your previous sentiments were the final words of a dying man.”  The alpha spoke with hope when he asked, “I was wrong?”

“So wrong,” was all Dean need to say before he forcefully hauled the angel into his arms and fiercely kissed him.

He steered his hands under the suit jacket, grabbing at the other alpha’s back and tugged them even closer together as their mouths clashed.  Cas clasped the base of Dean’s neck, wrapping his fingers in the hunter’s hair and cupping his cheek with his other palm.  It was messy and desperate, driven by more emotion than anything they’d allowed themselves to feel, to show one another, before.

The dam had _finally_ broken, and everything they kept quiet out of fear was released.  Dean almost chuckled when the angel scooped him up onto the hood of one of the cars and forced himself between Dean’s legs, grabbing with more desperation.  While he moaned into the angel’s mouth, he locked his ankles together behind Cas’ back and dragged their hips together until they were flush.

The moment they collided, it was blatantly obvious the need for one another was growing by the second, and Dean was thoroughly caught off guard when Cas reached down and cupped his erection through his jeans.  He gasped against the angel’s touch, the friction on that perfect divide of pain and pleasure from the denim but more than anything-

Dean’s mind was completely blown when Cas ripped past the button, unzipped him and sank to his knees.  And when the angel’s mouth wrapped around his cock?  Dean wouldn’t lie and deny the loud whimper of pleasure that practically bounced off the other junkers.

The alpha was baffled, he was already struggling to keep from thrusting into Cas’ mouth because - _how the hell_ did Cas know how to deep throat!?

Dean thought _he’d_ be the one to initiate anything sexual.  But here he was, sprawled out on the hood of an old Ford, writhing uncontrollably from what Cas was doing to him.  And, God, was it _amazing_.

Although this wasn’t where he was planning to take this-

“Fuck, Cas, y-you gotta,” he gasped and tried to form the words, but when he looked down and caught site of the feral look in the other alpha’s eyes, everything flew out the window.

The way the angel swirled that tongue, the suction, it was-

“Get us b-back inside.  O-our room…”

At least he could say that.

In a flash, the disorientation of angel travel threw him for a loop, and he landed on the bed with a bounce.

Cas was still looking at him as though he was prey, but he was pulling his trench coat off, and it gave Dean a second to regroup.  He sat up, and even though he was tugging off his jacket and unbuttoning his flannel, he forced himself to look away from the beautiful alpha in front of him.  Unfortunately, now that they were inside and the air wasn’t flowing in the breeze, the scents of lust rolling off the angel hit Dean’s nose like a goddamn freight train and his cock throbbed.

He allowed them to pull off all their clothes (wow, this was _really_ happening) up until their boxers until Dean reached out and grabbed Cas’ wrists.  The angel was still radiating hunger and desire, but he let Dean stop him.

With the question of, “Do you not want this?  I’m sorry, I should have-”

“No, no, Cas, I want it.  Jesus, I want it more than anything, want _you_ more than anything,” he assured him and pulled him in for a lingering kiss, trying to slow down the intense pace now that they were here.

They actually had time, they could take it…even though Dean’s knot was already friggin aching at the base of his dick from those gorgeous swollen lips just a few feet away…no.  He needed to do this _right_!  No distractions.

He decided to lead the angel to the bed where they could sit together, even though that was the last thing either wanted but it needed to be said.  That didn’t keep Dean’s eyes from roaming the muscled form of Cas’ mouth-watering body, and the huge outline of his erection beneath the boxers was so damn tempting.

However, Dean had something better.

“Cas,” he said slowly, and now that he thought about it…he was glowing.  “Do you really love me?”

“Unconditionally and without bounds,” the angel said right away, then paused when he added, “I’m sorry.  I moved too fast, I shouldn’t have assumed-"

“C’mon, you know me,” Dean teased nonchalantly, hoping to make the angel feel more comfortable, “there’s nothing you could make me do that I didn’t want to.  And, trust me, you've been number one on my to-do list for a damn long time.”

“I’m afraid you have that backwards tonight,” he quipped with a cheekiness that surprised the other alpha as he dripped forward and sucked Dean’s neck.

It ripped a moan from Dean's lungs, and confirmed all over again that it _was_ a fact, and Cas _needed_ to know: “Kali told me-”

The angel recoiled instantly and narrowed his eyes.  “Why are we speaking about her right now?”

“You _are_ jealous!” Dean finally called him out on it and took advantage of his stupor to shove him on his back and to the mattress.  As he was hovering above his surprised angel, he cooed, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, babe.  But she is the one who told me a little something that made me get my head out of my ass tonight.”

Cas didn’t reply with words, but watched the other alpha warily.  Because when things had to do with Kali and information…it meant something serious.  The goddess didn’t say things lightly and whatever she’d said to Dean?  It moved him to visit the angel, and it was the reason he was being pinned to this very bed right now.

“She can see it, Cas.  Our…lifelines, or whatever.  Red threads connecting people that's tangible _proof_ of what I feel, but didn’t know was reality.”  Dean’s eyes flickered to the column of Cas’ neck thoughtfully, wondering just what his mark would look like again the alpha’s skin.  “We’re true mates.  Can you feel it, Cas?  Please tell me I’m not alone.”

Castiel's eyes widened visibly at the news and the time that elapsed between that and his words terrified Dean.  But just when he was about to jerk away, Cas pulled him back with a huge smile and actually laughed.

“I…have felt it.   _Do_ feel it.  It’s why I acted so violently to Sam and Gabriel at first.  Because…they had something that I never thought I’d be able to…”  His voice was barely above a whisper when he went on to explain, “I’ve…been in love with you for quite some time.  I never thought it would be returned.  And when-” he paused, “certain events happened, I knew I was alone.  But right now?  I am so happy I was mistaken.”

Dean was smiling and nodding, “You were dead wrong, angel.”  Then, he ran a hand through the other alpha’s dark, unruly hair and asked with that unbridled love in his voice, “Will you…be my mate, Cas?”

He’d never witnessed such an ecstatic scent bursting forth from the angel as he nodded and repeated, “Will you be my mate, Dean Winchester?”

“Fuck yeah,” Dean blurted eagerly and didn’t hold back when he almost begged, “Wanna seal the deal?”

And that’s when Cas turned the tables once more, and laid Dean flat on his back.  He suggestively tugged on the elastic of Dean's boxers, with a, “Of course.  I cannot wait to make love to you and claim you as mine.”  But before the alpha could protest, Cas stopped him with a fiery kiss and assured him, “I _know_ you’ll enjoy it, Dean.  I’ve dreamed about this for too long.  If you wish, next round you may make love to me.”

As Cas hungrily descended upon his soon-to-be mate’s body, Dean was reduced to nothing but moans and whimpers anyway.

Besides, who was he to say no to _that_?


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days passed as the opening lines to a bad joke - a goddess and a grumpy old hunter digging through books and socializing while a pair of brothers refused to leave individual beds with their angels.  While that was fine and accepted (even encouraged, given Sam’s current predicament), Bobby was damn curiosity and borderline disgruntled about the elder Winchester.

He thought Dean should be pulling his weight, it wasn’t like it was the end of the world, after all, but Kali explained in cut-and-dry terms what was happening.

That was all it took for the old alpha to understand.

After all, Bobby had a true mate, one who was taken away too soon.  And if his boys were getting a chance at what he had all the way back then?  He was _damn_ happy for them.  They deserved it, hell, they earned it, and even though their true mates presented in…strange, unpredictable forms, he couldn’t be more thrilled.

What did shock him, was one afternoon when Castiel and Dean came out for a late breakfast-early lunch and Bobby’s jaw dropped.  Kali looked impressed and abruptly shut her book with a ‘thump’ as the pair of alpha’s strode into the room, one without any idea something was off and the other…a bit shy.

“Well, you sure didn’t waste any time, boy,” Bobby huffed a sigh and shook his head.

Dean’s hand immediately reached out and slapped over his neck.

Over the fresh mating bite.

Followed by an instant, “ _Ow_ ,” and he retracted.

Cas huffed over his now-mate’s behavior and pressed, “You know, I told you I could heal that for you.  If you weren’t so stubborn.”

“Hey!  I want the experience,” Dean narrowed his eyes and grabbed the angel’s hand, smiling over to Kali and Bobby.  With a shrug he said, “Not much time to waste anyway, huh?  I needed to get with the program.  Took me too long to begin with.”

Bobby had never witnessed Castiel downright glow, but he may as well have been the friggin sun, the way he was smiling brightly and couldn’t tear his eyes away from Dean.  “I’m glad Kali helped.”  The angel turned his focus to her, without a modicum of his prior (unfounded) jealousy and confessed, “I am truly grateful to you.”

With a flippant wave from where she was kicked back, she laughed out, “Don’t mention it.”

“I’m gonna cook up some chow,” Dean announced and made a beeline for the kitchen, “Anyone else hungry?”

“I could go for something,” Bobby confirmed, but he was the only one.

Cas lingered when his mate disappeared and he took a seat next to the goddess.  With his hands neatly folded in his lap, he inquired earnestly, “How are you feeling?  Are your powers returning like you expected?  Do you think you’ll be ready?”

She glanced over the Bobby, then back to Cas and filled him in.  “We’ve been doing some tests in the yard.  Seeing how I’m coming along.  I’m definitely stronger, but not where I want to be.  That damn pup sucked the life from me.”  Kali clucked her tongue, “Maybe she’s got more Trickster than Sam will want.”

“How long?”  There was concern leaking into the angels voice - but Kali wasn’t sure if it was for her or the upcoming battle.

After all, just because he had been with Dean didn’t mean that he hadn’t felt it.  Just as she and Bobby had been watching it unfolding in front of them on his old, static-filled television set.  It wasn’t limited to livestock deaths, crop failures and other old demon signs anymore.  There were natural disasters and madness happening all over the world.

Floods.  Hurricanes.  Tornadoes.  Fires.  You name it, a slew of “unexplainable phenomena” was hitting all over the globe that couldn't even be clumped together with climate change.

Crunch time was now, and they were laid up, sitting there with the keys, the one hope, to jam Lucifer back into his cage.  But they _couldn’t_.  They were still helpless, and to watch the world go by while countless people died each day…it was another weight added to their already-heavy shoulders.

Kali inherently knew this laid on her, even if the others didn’t.  If Gabriel spoke to Sam, given he used the right tone and all the right words, and told him he was channeling the pup to create this heat?  She was pretty damn sure he could stop it.  But they allowed it to continue, perhaps as a distraction, because Kali wasn’t healed.

There was no way they could proceed with their plan if she wasn’t at full strength.  Hell, there was no guarantee it would even work with her _at_ full strength.  She just hoped maybe, just _maybe_ , Gabriel could convince Sam to come around.  She was well aware of how stubborn the kid was, but it was their future.  Everyone’s future.

“Sure no one else wants a sandwich!” Dean called from the kitchen.

“You’re forgetting your company, Dean,” Cas responded warmly, as his mate walked out with two plates and handed one to Bobby.

“Yeah, yeah.  I _will_ get you to eat one of my burgers someday,” the alpha pointed once his hand was free and sat down in the arm chair.  “Mm, I need this.”  He enthusiastically began to devour the sandwich with zeal.

“Now I know why you two haven’t left bed for two days,” Kali lewdly commented to the angel, who looked confused while Dean blushed scarlet.

“Jesus, children, behave,” Bobby groaned and turned back to his book, mumbling under his breath, “Idjits.”

\-----------------------------

It had been a while since Gabriel had even bothered with searching the kitchen for food, now he was snapping it up for his mate because Sam was beginning to have cravings.  Every damn one of the cravings were things that he knew weren’t in the Singer Pantry, so Gabriel spoiled his mate and took advantage of the time they had together while they could.

This was the last day of his heat, after all.

…As long as everything went according to what Sam considered “normal,” and Gabriel hoped it did.

The omega was happily munching on something everyday-Sam would have scoffed at, but apparently the pup had made him ravenous for some deep-fried mushrooms and an obscenely large side of ranch to dip them in.

“Not fair, you know,” Gabriel commented casually as he watched him eat - even though he was downright gleeful he could provide for his mate.  Some stupid part of his alpha side was quite content by the sight.

“Whu-?”  His eyes were humorously wide while his mouth was filled to adorable chipmunk-status.

“Yer supposed to be craving _sweets_ ,” the archangel laid on his stomach and stated, like it was a proven fact, “’Cause then we could share.  Not that gross garbage you’re eating, now.  Hell, I’d even go in for a pickle.”

Sam just smiled and rolled his eyes, swallowing to say, “Can’t help it.  Plus, the fact that I’ve got delivery makes it even easy to give in to my strange whims.  It’s all because of you, you know.”

“I’ve created a monster,” Gabriel leaned forward and planted a kiss right on Sam’s naked belly from where he was leaned against the headboard.  “Two’a ‘em.”

“Probably,” Sam grinned down as the alpha began to shower his middle with affection, feeling the pup respond to it.

Sam secretly loved moments like this, because he never in a million years would have thought the malicious creature they’d hunted, that had tormented Sam, that he’d fallen in lust then in love with could be so damn…sweet.  So tender.  So warm and loving.  It was crazy how far they’d both come.

“Mm, that scent is _fantastic_ ,” the archangel hummed out, resting his cheek against the baby bump and tilting his chin up to look at his mate.  “Do I have a happy Sammy from simply the food?  Or am I a little part of it?”

“Like you don’t already know.”  Sam wanted to reach down and run his hand through Gabriel’s unruly hair, but his hands were covered in grease from the snack.

He’d wait.  They had all night for their hands to roam over one another, explore each others bodies all over again, Sam always in disbelief as to how Gabriel made it feel like it was the first time, every time.

“Will you stay happy for me for a while, Sammy?”  Gabriel asked with somewhat of an elusive quality.

It caused the omega’s eyebrows to furrow, but he nodded and continued to work on the plate of food.  All he could do was nod, because he didn’t want to ask questions or shoot the alpha down before he began.  Although he was a little apprehensive.

“This little girl, right here,” Gabriel started off, cupping the swell of Sam’s stomach, “is much, _much_ more in-tuned with you than you know.  She wants to protect her dad, she wants to please her dad, and she’s already formed a strong connection with you.  Stronger than we could have anticipated.”

“Okay.  What’s that supposed to mean?”  Sam was at a loss, was this a bad thing?

“It means that you want our pup to be normal so badly, you want our little girl to be the poster child of conventional, that you channeled her power on accident.”  He spoke with a soft voice, as to not spook his mate, but Sam’s eyes widened with a slight scent of fear regardless.

“H-how?  I haven’t done anything!  I haven’t used her at all-”

“Grace heals you and keeps you safe.  The pup is half grace.  Which is why you don’t have morning sickness, which is why you didn’t have any symptoms, which is why…” Gabriel took in a deep breath, “you _shouldn’t_ have had a pregnancy heat.  Because the grace would have suppressed it.  After all, a heat would have left you vulnerable and the pup protects you.  But…you wanted things to be normal, so you tapped into the prayer part and-”

“You’re saying I did this to myself.   _Why_ would I do this to myself?!  When we’re just about to end Lucifer?!  Why would I decide _now_ is a fan-fucking-tastic time to throw myself into a heat that scared the hell out of me?!  One that I never wanted in the first place!”  Sam demanded, slamming the plate down on the nightstand.  “I didn’t even-”

“Sammy,” Gabriel crawled the length of his mate’s body and shut him up with a kiss.  “Be honest with me.  Right now.  Are you really pissed off because I’m accusing you of starting a heat you think is natural but isn't?  Or are you pissed off that you channeled the pup?  Don’t lie to me, use your brain.  What makes more sense?”

With his mouth agape, Sam tried a few times to form words but ended up squeezing his eyes shut.  He groaned and slid down in the bed, tucking himself tightly under the covers and turning away from Gabriel.  He was trying to collect his thoughts, steady his breath because…his mate _had_ to be right.  He wouldn’t lie to him, not about this.   _Fuck_ , he-

“It’s okay, babe.  We needed the together time.  Kali needed to recover.  I wanted to be selfish and take care of you,” Gabriel tried to run a soothing hand along Sam’s cocooned arm, but the omega jerked away.  Feeling defeated, Gabriel fell back onto his rear and stared at his sulking mate.  “I just needed to tell you.  You and our pup?  You’re connected.  You’ve tapped into her power like a second nature, even though you didn’t mean to.  Normally it takes 'til well into the third trimester, and most of those carrying nephilim don’t even manage to harness the link before they’re born.  Let that...sink in.”

Gabriel chewed on his bottom lip, unsure of what to do now as he looked around the room.  He wanted to leave Sam with those words, he really, _really_ wanted him to contemplate them yet he didn’t want to leave his mate.

But…maybe it was for the best.

So he snapped on some clothes and stood up, circling the bed to press a kiss to the crown of Sam’s head.  His face was buried in a pillow, Gabriel didn’t have any other options than that.  He would stretch his legs and come right back.

Sure, he knew the news was heavy for Sam, and rightfully so, but hopefully it would give him some perspective.  Gabriel hated that he could be seen as a terrible mate for hiding the facts this long, _plus_  implying what he was implying…but he’d make it up to Sam soon.

One thing Sam _couldn’t_ deny?

As soon as the knowledge was dropped, Sam’s heat slammed to a halt.

That was evidence enough.  There was nothing, not a goddamn thing, that was natural about that.  Sam _couldn’t_ comeup with any argument to deny that.  And it went further to prove Gabriel’s theory about how deeply they were linked - and it was much, much deeper of a bond, tighter of a link, than he could have ever imagined.  Sam had no idea if the closeness and connection with his little girl and her boundless powers was amazing or terrifying.

\-----------------------------

Although Sam didn’t speak to him that night, he allowed Gabriel to hold him.

He allowed his alpha to whisper all the sweet nothings he wanted in his ear and it made Sam feel better.

Gabriel reported back that Kali would likely be at full strength tomorrow - and in that same breath he healed all of Sam’s fatigue from the heat, leaving him shiny and new.  That was almost enough for the omega to snap at him, but he didn’t.  He held his tongue.  Because, all right, maybe he needed that.

Sam's muscles had been aching and useless, he was raw and sore between his legs, and he felt like he could sleep straight through for a fucking week.  But once Gabriel brushed his fingertips over Sam’s temple, hell, he felt like he could go face the devil right then.  However, he knew that he needed sleep.

But more than anything, he _wanted_ sleep.  He wanted to escape all these stupid ideas his mate had planted in his head, because now more than ever…

Sam was at odds with himself.

He was confused.  His role as a father was being challenged by the pup’s other father, whether Gabriel knew it or not.

Doubt had been planted in the form of Sam, with him and his pup, being _able_ to succeed.  It was ass-backwards but it made sense to him.

Yet, it hurt.

It hurt in ways he couldn’t describe, because he’d already (unwillingly and unknowingly) been using her.

In the middle of the night, when sleep wouldn’t come because of his thoughts he turned to Gabriel who he knew was just there to be a supportive force.  After all, the archangel didn’t sleep - he stayed with Sam for the omega’s benefit.

In a low whisper, he asked, “Can you knock me out?”

“Wanna make that any more abusive, bucko?”  The normal humor from his voice had vanished, but it did soften around the edges when he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

With a heavy sigh, Sam shook his head.  “I don’t want to.  But I probably should.”

“I’m all ears.”

But…where did he begin?

“Everything is…wrong again,” Sam finally decided on.  “If I hadn’t…fuck, Gabe, why didn’t you just keep it from me?  Why did you have to tell me?”

“Because there shouldn’t be any secrets between us, Sam,” Gabriel said it with a determined severity.  “We’re mated.  I don’t want to keep anything from you ever again.  And…this was kind of important.”

Sam grumbled, “You couldn’t have held off?”

“Nope.  No can do, kiddo.  I know, I made things tough but that doesn’t mean everything is, as you so eloquently put: wrong again.  We’ve got so much right going for us.  Don’t tell me that crap.”  He dared to reach out and tip Sam’s chin up so he was actually looking at him, rather than a random spot on the comforter.  “C’mon.  You can still stick to your guns, you were dead-set on that before.  You know I’m gonna be on your side, no matter which one you stand on.”

The omega searched in his mate’s eyes for something.  What, he wasn’t sure.  Maybe a hint of disappointment?  Some kind of clue in the direction Gabriel was leaning?  After all, he’d been the one to plant the seed.  But all he found was understanding, and that was frustrating.  Sam wanted someone _else_ to make the call, give him the answer, and his mate wasn’t doing it for him!  Any other time, Gabriel would have an opinion, moral compass ambiguous or not, he held firm beliefs but not now, not when it counted. 

“I don’t know anymore,” Sam blurted helplessly.  “I wanted her to be a regular kid so bad, _I_ used her.  I used her _twice_ already.  Hell, three times, if you count the accident with Kali.  I want it to end, but it won’t end until Lucifer’s gone.”

“Then don’t make the choice until then.”  Gabriel couldn’t help it or hold back any longer.

He had to gather Sam into his arms because the omega looked so hopeless and lost, that was the last thing he wanted for his mate.  He wanted to give him the strength to back up his choice, not leave him floundering in an ethical conundrum.  So Gabriel cradled him and kissed his forehead, rubbing circles along Sam’s back.

“Don’t worry about it until then,” he repeated and explained, “it’s not like you have to juice up.  It’s not like you have to prepare like you would've as a vessel, your link’s already there.  If shit goes south and you feel you want to, you do it.  If you can’t bring yourself to, we’ll make due.  We always manage.  Everyone understands, everyone respects your choice, there’s no pressure.”

“See, Gabe…that’s just it,” Sam clung to the alpha.

The words confused him, but he prompted his mate with, “What is?”

“There is pressure, but it’s _from me_ now.  Maybe I-I-”

“Shh, rest now.  You need it, Sammy,” Gabriel reached up to touch Sam’s forehead and explained, “Things will be clearer in the morning.”

The omega snatched up Gabriel’s wrist before he could send him packing into dreamland and urged him, “I’m sorry I was being a bitch about everything earlier.  This is all a lot to handle.  I love you.”

“Heh, don’t be sorry.  I already kind of expected it would be,” he pecked Sam on the nose, “Love you too, brat.  Now, you gotta get your sleep.”

He released the archangel’s hand and nodded, pushing Gabriel onto his back where he could rest his head in the crook of his mate’s neck.  Now, he was ready.  And that’s when the drowsiness tugged him gently into unconsciousness.

It was nights like this _Gabriel_ wished that he slept, because now that Sam had willingly confessed he may be changing his mind?  Well, shit, that was almost too much to hope for.  Taking the fact that it was their daughter out of the equation, this _was_ the way to get rid of Lucifer.  Which was the endgame.

He prayed - no - he _wouldn’t_ be there to influence Sam’s decision.  Even though if his nose was working right, the distress of his mate read as though he was leaning in a certain direction.  Dammit, now Gabriel was restless with the same thoughts Sam had undoubtedly been having before - they were contagious.

Tomorrow they’d make their plan official.

Hell, depending on how Kali was, tomorrow…they may even put it into motion.  Time was running out on the clock.

It was better to get it over with, not allow Sam to overthink it, because the sooner it happened the more likely the omega was to use this ace up his sleeve.  Or, that’s what Gabriel figured at least.  Fuck, it was all so jumbled.

\---------------------------

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen and the atmosphere was heavy - well, everyone minus Sam.  The tests they’d continued to run confirmed that Kali was back to full strength and now they were looking over locations to where they’d have the jump on Lucifer.  Or the best shot.

“Still going with Sam’s idea?” Bobby asked, figuring he was the most neutral party to bring it up.  “Sam callin’ Lucifer, telling’ ‘im he’ll say yes then us usin’ brute force?”

Gabriel hummed his acknowledgement but found himself distracted by the marks on his brother and Dean’s neck.  He’d heard about it through a conversation with Kali, but seeing it was a whole new ballgame.  It was also a stark reminder of everything they had to lose.

“Yo.”  Dean narrowed his eyes, looking up from the map.  “I’m not a piece of meat, Gabriel.  You wanna say something?”

“Congrats?” he offered with a noncommittal shrug.  “Bout time?  How do those work for ya?”

“Gabriel,” Kali warned him in a low tone, “I get it.  You’re between a rock and a hard place.  But how about you play nice with the rest of the kids on the playground rather than starting a fight?”

“I’m not starting a fight!”  The archangel protested and went on further with, “I’m happy for them!  I’m just fucking stressed out, okay?  I don’t like the whole, putting my mate on the line as bait idea, especially when he’s on the fence about-” the words died on his tongue.

And everyone attention flipped on a dime, zeroing in on those _unsaid_ words.

It was Castiel who prompted, “Brother.  Sam’s…now on the fence?  This is of great import.  Before, he was adamantly against it, he-”

“I know!” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair and wished he never let that slip.  “I don’t know what’s going on in his head right now.  There have been some, uh, developments.  But he’s not thinking it through, I don’t want him to do something that he regrets later.”

“Then we don’t let him.”  Dean’s answer was simple and final.  “He’s probably feeling pressure because of us.  If we didn’t keep suggesting it, if we weren’t positive that it was foolproof, then he wouldn’t be conflicted in the first place.  It’s on us.  We _gotta_ stop bringing it to Sammy’s doorstep.  Much as I hate it, it’s my brother.  It’s shitty that he’s holding the nuke, but we take away the controls.  Don’t give him the option to stew.  ‘Sides, who knows if he could even use it as a weapon anyway!”

There was a silence that hung in the air because both Gabriel _and_ Kali knew damn well that Sam was so in-tuned with the pup, it would be just as easy as snapping his fingers.  But Dean was right, they planned around it, none of this was good for Sam: the stress, the moral dilemma, even though he was going to be tossed into the boxing ring didn't mean he had to...box.

Kali cleared her throat and asked aloud, “Anyone find a good location?”

“I’m thinking warehouse.  Someplace we can paint up beforehand, in bumfuck nowhere.  So if there’s a blast site no civilians get hurt.”  Dean pointed to a place on the map he was looking at, “I think I’ve found an abandon district about an hour north of here.  Bobby, wanna look this over?”

He drew a quick circle around the area and starred the specific building he was referring to, the old alpha snatched away the map and gave it a good gander.

“No one's been round those parts since the coal mines ran dry, went outta business.  You’ll get yer privacy, that’s for sure.”  He glanced up to see Kali was stealing glances at Gabriel, but knew it was foolish to get involved.  But there was one thing he needed to know.  “How’s Sam holdin’ up, anyway?”  After all, Bobby thought of him as a son and no one had seen in him almost a week.

Gabriel was knocked out of his daze and turned towards Bobby with a shrug.  “With the heat turned down, he’s…mopey.  But, like I said, revelations and shit.  I hate it.  But he’s fine, healthy, pup’s good, we're just ready for this to be over with.”

“Do you think with only your warding you’ll be able to cover the pup?” Dean asked slowly, “Hell, you may even need to do some kind of illusion spell, Sam’s showing so much now.  If the Devil can’t see the soul, he’ll be able to see his damn _stomach_.”

“Dean,” Castiel whispered to his mate, because he was just poking at the ticking time bomb that was Gabriel.

The archangel _knew_ all of these things, they were _all_ fucking concerns and he _didn’t_ need to be reminded.  As if he needed this puny hunter to tell him how to protect his mate and his unborn child?  He could feel his eye twitch, but he needed to 'play with the other kids,' as Kali had said.

“Illusion spell, check.  And I can cover up the pup’s soul, easy-peasy.  It’s the grace that I’m worried about Luci seeing.  Not to mention the fact that last time they had a showdown?  Sam muscled up some crazy power.  And ya gotta wonder.  What did my brother justify _that_ as?  ‘Cause it sure as hell wasn’t a fluke.”  He tried to remain monotone in poise and pitch, but now the worries were adding up.   
  
Not only had ‘Team Free Will’ had time to prepare, but Lucifer did, too.

And while no one knew about the pup, the Devil may be able to pinpoint the power he’d been struck with.  It was another concern that had been eating away at Gabriel for a while now.

“Do you think he’d be able to recognize a vessel he cannot enter upon sight?”  The seraph raised the question, “I know you’re much, much more powerful than I, you should be able to cloak the grace of the pup.  Yet…what of Sam’s vessel?”

“He’s gonna know something’s up with all the jazz and protection Sam’s surrounded in,” Kali grumbled, “but as long as he doesn’t know exactly what kind of protection: ignorance is bliss, right?  The unknown can work in our favor.  After all, Cas branded your ribs, that’s another kind of cloaking.  Gabriel hid the mating mark from me.  It’s all relative.”

Bobby gave a hum of affirmation, “You know he won’t expect Sam there, completely open and naked in the first place.  He’s been in hiding for God knows _how_ long.  What you all gotta figure out is your cue.  Will you be in hiding?  Or will you be waitin’ on a prayer to swoop in?”

“I don’t wanna risk a kidnapping or a barrier,” Gabriel decided very suddenly.  “I know we originally wanted Sam to go in alone, but there’s too much that could go wrong.  I think our standby needs to be just that.  Out of sight, not flying range.”

“He’ll sense us,” Dean pointed out right away.

“He’ll sense _you_ ,” Gabriel countered, “You’ll be with your brother, no matter what.  Wouldn’t it look fishy if you weren’t there as backup or something?  I don’t want Sam there alone.”  His words were final.

“If Dean’s already there, I won’t have to worry about flying him in,” Cas added to the conversation, “I could even fly Sam out, after the incantation is chanted and you and Kali wrestle Lucifer back into the cage.”

That was something that Gabriel hadn’t considered, but then…it was a double-edged sword.

Yes, his mate would be out of harm’s way and safe.  But then…if anything went wrong and Sam ended up deciding to harness the power of their baby?  He wouldn’t be able to, he’d be benched, he’d be-

“Good idea, Cas,” Dean decided for him, and it left Gabriel with an uneasy feeling.

While, yeah, Dean wanted to take the option away from his brother because of the uncertainty of it all…Gabriel was still on the fence, because he’d heard _and_ scented the confliction with his mate’s initial choice.     
  
It was because of his Trickster past, hoping Sam would just (for that _moment_ ) dip into their power source, because he was closer…he was _so close_ to fighting for their futures.  If only for this one, singular instance, and Dean didn’t understand how massive of a problem this would be if they _couldn’t_ overpower the Devil.

If Sam was gone?  All their necks would be snapped.  Gabriel would have an angel blade through the chest.  Cas and Sam would be mateless, and Lucifer running free.  Lucifer, who would _eventually_ find out his vessel was unusable.  No doubt he would take out his fury on the planet.  It would be _unprecedented_ , no longer a war between brothers, but a vendetta against everything alive.

“We’ll see what Sam has to think,” Gabriel raised his voice, because while they could plan this out to the time, location and gist of the plan…he still wanted his omega’s say.  Before Dean opened his mouth, the alpha stopped him with, “We _can’t_ sign on the dotted line of all this without our key player, Deano.  This isn’t me being a dick, this is me saying you can’t speak for your brother.  Sorry ‘bout that.”

The Winchester’s brow furrowed and he huffed in obvious annoyance but didn’t say anything.

“Alright, how ‘bout you guys take turns puttin’ that warding up and then we’ll see if Sam’s feelin’ up to a chat in a little bit?” Bobby interrupted them before anything else could happen.  “I already put together all the sigils yer gonna need.  Here,” he pushed forward a notebook that was armed to the gills with symbols and new designs that caught Dean’s attention because he’d never seen them before.  
  
With a glance to Kali, she winked.  It looked like their study-bonding time had yielded promising and thorough results.  She even voiced, “Robert and I work well together.”

“Yes, you do,” Cas took the notebook and flipped through the pages with appraisal.  He suddenly stood up with that mission-minded expression, “Would you like to go with me, Dean?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the hunter grumbled, “We still got that Holy Oil?”

The seraph confirmed as much as Dean went to grab his things, and that left the other three alone.  Kali was still watching Gabriel and waited until the mated pair left before she spoke up.

“He’s honestly considering it?”

“When I spilled the beans about the preggers heat?  Not a happy camper.  But he realized that he’d been, his words not mine, ‘already using the pup.’  Kind of a, why stop now, revelation.  Really bad reasoning, in my opinion, which is why I’m inclined to tell him hell no,” he confided to the woman, not bothered about Bobby listening in - after all, at least _he_ had a clear head.  The only human Gabriel could say that about.

“Shit,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “I was hoping he was coming around because it made strategic sense.  That’s some passive aggressive hormonal bullshit, is what it is.  You’re right, Gabriel.  He’ll regret tapping into the power if his mindset and reasoning is because 'why the fuck not.'  Remind me again, never to get knocked up.”

“Hah!”  That actually made a burst of laughter propel Gabriel to collapse on the table.  “Holy hell, I needed that!  Thank you for being a vain bitch.  And, yes, your feet swell - can’t rock out your heels with a pup in tow.”

“There’s nothing I can’t do in stilettos,” she quipped with a shark like grin.  “But that’s besides the point-”

“Yeah,” Gabriel sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, “You think you could calm the beast?  AKA - the overprotective big brother?  And I thought I was bad.”

“You seem to think I have a special control over him.  He has a mate now, you know.”

“I know.”  The archangel was wearing a telling grin.  “But I _also_ know that you two are besties, and he’d be more inclined to listen to your logic than his boo.  Just...I don’t speak Neanderthal.  And you happen to be an _excellent_ translator.  Now you know where I’m at with Sam.  I don’t know where the fuck it’s headed, but it’s complicated.  I don’t want Deano getting anyone’s panties in a bunch _or_ digging these graves any deeper.  It’s all…shit.  Yeah, it’s all shit.”

“Yer right about that,” Bobby added from where he was unashamedly listening in.  “But it’s gonna be go-time soon.  Just make sure, no matter where Sam’s head’s at, that it’s on his shoulders.  One way’r another.”

“I’m trying.”  Gabriel didn’t know why, but he felt the need to put as much feeling as he could behind those words.

He respected Bobby, and he was trying to be a good mate, a good tactician and come out on top all at once.  It was so fucking hard to mix all these things and do the “right thing.”  Who even knew what the right thing was anymore?

“I know,” Bobby confirmed with a terse nod, “anything else we need to talk about before those idjits get back?”

“I want the gossip about how they finally got their heads outta their asses,” Gabriel quirked a very Loki-like sneer in Kali’s direction.  “Cheer me up.  Tell me a story.”

“Hah, _that_?  I can do.”

\-----------------------------

When Sam stirred in the morning, he tried not to let Gabriel know that he was awake.  Except the odd thing was…Gabriel wasn’t even there.  He turned in the bed realizing it had long since gone cold, his mate’s body heat had left for God knows how long.

This fact alone made Sam frown and settle onto his back, glaring daggers at the ceiling.

He knew one thing for sure, in his moments of waking.

He’d been too hard on Gabriel.

All the alpha did was to protect Sam, to take care of him and what did he do the night before?  Well, he began with blatantly ignoring him, then word-vomiting all his problems and insecurities and expected his mate to make it all better.

Shit, when the hell had he turned into this pathetic mess of a person?  Sam was used to being strong, he was used to being independent and shouldering his problems (and sometimes others) by himself.  And now he was falling apart, using Gabriel as his safety net.  This _wasn’t_ the resilient, confident omega that his mate had fallen in love with.

Hell, if Sam was looking at the situation from Gabriel’s perspective, he could see himself as a hindrance, as a liability.  As a problem that kept arising, needing to be solved, and that wasn’t what he was about.  God, he hated he’d fallen this far.

Sam couldn’t be that person any longer.

It wasn’t fair, to _any_ of them.

He scrubbed a hand down his face and sharply exhaled, groaning out into the empty room.

This needed to be fixed, things needed to change, and it sure as hell had to be before this battle.  So Sam steeled his nerves, took a deep breath and sent a prayer in the direction of his mate - hopefully he wasn’t interrupting anything.

In a flash, the mattress gave way next to him and a fully dressed Gabriel was smiling with a, “G’morning, sunshine.  Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to you,” Sam chuckled and took the initiative to forcefully push Gabriel down to the bed while he loomed over him.  “You’re too good to me, you know that?”

The alpha appeared caught off guard by the smirk spreading across his mate’s face and he couldn’t help but quip, “Decided you wanted another day of heat?” with the waggle of eyebrows.

“Nah,” his chuckle brightened and he stole a kiss, “decided I wanted another morning of you.  Unless you-”

“I’m _totally_ a’okay with that.”

It was all Gabriel managed to get out before he leaned up, Sam ducked down, and their lips clashed in the middle.

The omega threw back the covers so he was able to straddle the archangel and finally had the chance to do what he wanted.  Which currently happened to be unbuttoning the annoying shirt while the kisses turned hot.  Maybe he’d gotten spoiled - they’d been skin-on-skin for days on end and the fabric offended him.  He loved the alpha’s body and was working to gain access as swiftly as his hands would let him.

Once he all but ripped the shirt off and he went for the jeans, Gabriel breathlessly wondered aloud, “Damn, what’s got you all hot and bothered?”

Sam didn’t answer him with words but with an impish grin, kissing down his body.  He yanked past the button, unzipped his pants while he sucked marks into the alpha’s hip bones.  Gabriel gasped in surprise when Sam managed to maneuver both his jeans and boxers down his thighs, hard erection suddenly free of its confines in the cool air of the room.

The noise turned into a long moan as the omega grasped the base of Gabriel’s cock and eagerly lapped along the head.  

“Holy fuck, kid!”  His hips bucked off the bed and he had to try his damnedest not to grab fistfuls of Sam’s hair.  “Shit, y-you-”

Gabriel was abruptly cut off, hell, it wasn’t worth trying to form words anymore, when Sam took him down his throat.  He mustered enough strength to keep his damn pelvis glued to the bed, but didn’t have it in him to hide the long whimper that escaped his throat.  Or any of the noises after, as his mate continued to bob up and down on his dick, taking the entire length each and every time.

Finally, Gabriel had the willpower to glance down and he was utterly enraptured, more so when Sam glanced up: his scent a delicious mix of lust and arrogance, because he knew exactly how to drive the alpha insane.  Yes, the omega knew _precisely_ what he was doing - it was clear by the glint in his eyes and the archangel was completely at his mercy.

He was worried this was going to be over before it even began, this surprise-attack and the intensity and desire that sprung up out of nowhere...it was ridiculously alluring, not to mention the way Sam’s mouth worked...hell, it was enough to get Gabriel off just like this.  And that was the last thing he wanted to do to.  _Especially_ when the scent of slick was just as heavy in the air.  Gabriel unconsciously licked his lips and made the choice to go ahead and lace his fingers through Sam’s hair, tugging him off.

Yet, Sam still fought, kitten licking the alpha’s slit which was oozing precum, voice coated in faux-innocence when he asked, “Aren’t you enjoying it?”

“Too much.  Way, way too much,” Gabriel raised an eyebrow to his own erection and scoffed, “As if you couldn’t tell,” hoping Sam could feel the beginnings of his knot from where his hand was still wrapped around the base.

“Tell me what you want, Gabe.”  Sam's voice was downright sinful.

Sinful, to the point it sent a shiver down the alpha’s spine and he wondered - seriously, where the fuck had this come from?  Gabriel wasn’t going to stop and demand answers, _hell no,_ he was just confused because of how they’d…left everything the night before.

Sam was all barely-contained sexual energy, he was in control and it was Gabriel who was floundering for a change.  It was a delicious power play mix-up, and it made him wonder…what _did_ he want?  Right now?  Because the omega was ready and willing for anything and that made Gabriel’s mouth go dry.

“You’re taking too long.”

The comments was so casual that it made Gabriel’s head tilt to the side, but then the next thing Sam did made his head fucking spin.

In two graceful and baffling movements, Sam went from between Gabriel’s legs to straddling him.  Backward.  His omega went full-on reverse cowgirl, and the view of Sam‘s backside glistening with slick was enough to punch the air from his lungs.  But it didn’t stop there.

Gabriel had a full show of Sam’s ass as he lifted up, his puckered hole glistening and gushing.  Then Sam slid down on him, taking every inch of alpha cock and Gabriel's breath away.  And, shit, if it wasn’t one of the hottest things Gabriel had seen in his millennials on Earth.  His mate just kept surprising him, and when he bottomed out, he couldn’t help the muffled shout of, “Holy fuck, you’re amazing, Sammy.”

Now Sam’s chest was visibly heaving, but he took a moment to look over his shoulder, just to throw Gabriel a smirk before he began to rock his hips.

Even the sound of Sam’s dripping wet hole was so damn obscene, it made Gabriel’s knot pulse, needing to explode inside the omega, _needing_ them to be one.  The urge to claim was overwhelming, and when Sam began lifting up and slamming down, the alpha had to reach out and grab low on his waist.  He had to be a part of his, because up until now Gabriel felt he’d been a spectator.

It was time to give it to Sam as good as he was getting.

The first sharp thrust up knocked a grunt from Sam, in a glorious way, and had the omega mewling and grinding down in approval.  They found a rhythm pretty damn quick - almost as quickly as Gabriel found Sam’s prostate, which earned him an unabashed groan and gasps of encouragement.

It was music to the alpha’s ears, being able to please him, and it didn’t come at a better time.  His knot was already past that tight rim, Sam revved him up to wanting and pulsing with need in record time.  He hoped he didn’t break too early-

“Sam,” Gabriel said his name like a prayer and made an attempt to sit up and reach to grab his mate’s cock-

Only to be shoved backwards, flat on the bed.

With the growled order of, “Stay there.  Gonna ride you, milk you dry, Gabe,” while Sam pitched forward and tugged on the archangel’s dick in just the right way.

Before he knew what hit him, Gabriel’s knot was swelling and he was spilling inside his mate.  Completely caught off guard by his orgasm, he was left thrashing in the sheets, all rhythm lost, plunging his hips into the hot, wet heat with abandon.  He could scent Sam’s amusement and cursed himself, but also grew weak with Sam’s mounting pleasure.

Thank God, because Sam began slamming down harder and harder, and when Gabriel felt himself (unbelievable _already_?!) awash with the impending second round of fiery ecstasy, he tried to hold off until he felt Sam cum.

Soon enough, the tight clenching around his cock was accompanied by a long, pleasure-filled shout and it the timing was perfect.  The alpha was catching his breath all over again as he poured inside his mate, back arching and craving his touch-

His closeness-

Gabriel didn’t care what Sam wanted anymore, he grappled with the man on top of him and wrestled him back down to the bed until he was in his arms.  He was all but purring as he spooned Sam and nestled into his back, which happened to be covered in sweat, feeling like home all the same.

Sam laughed and relaxed into his touch, ready and willing, as his mate kissed every inch of skin he could get his mouth on.  The omega knew it was coming, and he was happily waiting - expecting - it.  Maybe not to his extent, but he was content.

“Mm, holy mother of God, I won’t ask questions, but whatever inspired you?  A million thanks sent in _that_ direction,” Gabriel praised and went right back to spreading those kisses.  “Fuck, I love you.”

“Heh, I love you, too,” Sam’s voice was just shy of a whisper and felt…accomplished?

He wasn’t sure why, but he was glad he could keep his mate guessing.  He felt some sense of…autonomy?  Taking back control?  Being able to keep Gabriel on his toes?  He couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on his face as he relaxed in his mate's arms.

Now, he felt prepared to take on the day.  Sam felt ready for any obstacle in front of them.  He felt like he’d gotten his sense of self back.

Sam basked in the feeling of Gabriel’s hands on his body, of his mouth, and the desire being quenched.  He mused for a moment about rocking backwards and grinding against Gabriel’s knot all over again, seeing if he could send his alpha into another orgasm.  But he knew they needed to prepare.  Still…it was a lingering thought.  One that Gabriel caught on to.

“You’re still feisty, aren’t you?”  The alpha teased, wrapping his hands around Sam’s middle and sucking a kiss against his shoulder blade.  “You will be the death of me.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Sam commented nonchalantly, his hands resting atop Gabriel’s, “You’ve still gotta be a father before you die.  You’re not leaving me anytime soon.”

“Mm.”  He melted against Sam’s touch and intertwined their legs, “I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before.  Sure’ve implied it.  But I can’t wait.  Not just for the pup, but for our family.  To raise our little family with you.”

That honestly surprised Sam to the point he was speechlessly caught off guard.  Sure, they talked about the pup, but the words of ‘our family’ were very rarely mentioned.  If at all.  The fact that they would be together, raising this little girl, being fathers…

Fatherhood.

The prime reason to fight.  And maybe Sam wasn’t afraid anymore.

“...You’re gonna be a great dad, Gabriel,” it was a hushed whisper, because the thought left him in awe.  That he’d wrangled this Archangel of the Lord into a future of bottle feeding and changing diapers.  “We’re gonna be great dads.  But before then, we’re going to be survivors.  And we’re going to do it, now.”

“ _Now_ , now?”  Gabriel was taken aback, and tried to shift the mood with a joke, “Don’t know how possible that’ll be while we’re tied together and naked, but-”

“You know what I mean.  Kali’s recovered, right?  We’re going to end this once and for all.  I want our family to be safe, not having to constantly look over our shoulders, more than ever.”  There was nothing but steel and grit in his tone.  “I’m taking back control.  Of everything.  You’ve trusted me, you’ve been in my corner and you’ve _never_ questioned me.  And we’re going to do this, end it - I need to enjoy _us_.”

“Oh.”  It sounded to Gabriel like the omega had an epiphany, causing Gabriel in turn to have an epiphany.  “ _That’s_ what got into you.”

“Yeah,” Sam admitted, craning his neck back to face his mate, with an iron resolve.  “I’m fighting.  We’re doing this.  I’m ready.”

“Good.”  He leaned forward and tenderly kissed the omega’s lips.  “We all are.  We’re gonna cage the fucker and be home in time for dinner.”

“Good,” Sam repeated, refusing to stop kissing Gabriel until neck and his spine protested.  “I’m in.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Well, hey, look at you,” Dean whistled as Sam strutted down the stairs with confidence in the air and a perky mate right behind him.  “You look like you’re ready to take on the world.”

“Better than that,” the omega stated casually as he reached the landing and noticed everyone was gathered.  “I’m ready to end this and put the Devil back in his cage.”

Kali and Bobby exchanged glances, because whatever emerged from upstairs after a week's worth of false-heat, especially after what Gabriel had informed them about Sam's reaction to the news…this _wasn’t_ what they’d expected.  But it was something positive, a step in the right direction and had them pleasantly surprised.  While attitude wasn’t everything and it wouldn’t necessarily get the job done, it wasn’t a hindrance.

The archangel dodged around Sam, and it wasn’t until the small burst of movement brushed against Sam’s shirt that Castiel noticed, “Your illusion spell.  It worked.  Both of them.”

Sam was the one who answered, running his hands over his flat stomach and chuckling, “Yeah.  It’s…really weird.”  Then, more hesitantly he asked, “You guys can’t see the pup?  I mean, Kali and Cas?  The grace?  The soul?  Anything?”

“Give it a hard look, but no touch.”  Gabriel wagged his finger when he emphasized, “We learned our lesson the hard way.”

The Goddess stood up and approached, heeding the warning as she concentrated and circled the omega, glancing past the layer of flesh and bone and delving deeper.  Cas did much of the same, and considering they knew what to look for that (hopefully) Lucifer wouldn’t, they’d be the best bet to know whether or not it had truly worked.

After a few moments of everyone holding their breath, Kali was the first to say, “I can’t see anything.  No indicators, no signs of spell work, no pup.”  She spared a half-second glance to the seraph and inquired, “What about you, angel?”

“No,” his voice was very deliberate, and he questioned, “What kind of magic did you use?”

“Eh, it was a mix and match.”  Gabriel shrugged, and smiled widely as Sam reached out and slung his arm over his shoulder from where the omega had perched on the couch happily.  “Looks like our little girl’s in hiding.  That’s good news.  Sam got his rippling abs back and she’s camo’d.”

“And we’ve got up a cubic fuck-ton of warding.  Well, more like traps,” Dean added, rubbing his fingers together because they still had a lingering residue of Holy Oil.  “Who knows if they’ll hold him.”

“They held Gabriel and he’s an archangel,” the omega pointed out.  “I mean, if it comes to that and we need to trap him.  What of stuff did you guys decorate with?”  Sam’s interest was piqued, having been out of the game for so long and not knowing what they’d gotten themselves into while he was on his…hiatus.

But then, he did a double-take, catching a glimpse of his brother and Castiel’s necks and his jaw dropped.  “Woah, when did that happen?”

The alpha hunter chuckled then drawled out, “Just recently, well, obviously.”  He winked over to his own mate and then looked back to Sam, “You’re not mad you missed the celebration party?”

“Shut up.”  The omega was practically glowing, radiating happiness for his brother and he crossed the space to gather him into his arms and into a bone-crushing hug.  “I’m happy for you, jerk!  That’s awesome!”

Dean had the friggin wind knocked out of him, but returned the embrace even though it had caught him off guard.  With a few hearty claps to Sam’s back, he admitted, “Can’t let you have all the fun with mated life, can I, bitch?”

“Figured it would happen sooner rather than later,” he admitted and pulled away.

“Yeah, we thought we should do it while we could-”  The admission was out of his mouth before he knew it, and internally cursed.  Because that had all the implications that they wouldn’t have a chance later.  That there was a very real possibility they thought they were going to fail and that’s why they’d dove in, headfirst.  But that’s not what he’d meant, even though it caused Sam to freeze in his tracks.

“Dean…” the omega said softly, barely above a whisper.  “You know we’re gonna win?  Right?”

“Damn right, we are.”  He pasted on a bright smile, trying to reassure his little brother because he hadn’t meant to plant any seeds of doubt.  That was the last thing anyone needed, let alone Sam.

“No, I mean, we are.  We _have to._  We will,” Sam gripped his shoulder with a certain urgency in his gaze.  “I _know_ we will.  There’s so much we’ve gotta-” he stumbled over his words, but shook his head to abruptly cut himself off, changing the subject.  “Okay.  So you didn’t fill me in.  What kind of warding you set up.”

“Once he’s arrived, he cannot leave,” Castiel spoke loudly, drawing Sam's attention to take some of the heat off his mate.  “Lucifer won’t have an out after we’ve lured him to us.  Neither will the rest of the angels, unfortunately.  So-”

“That’s suicide,” Sam gaped, confusion heavy in his voice.  “If the-”

“Hey.  All or nothing, right?”  Gabriel piped up from the back, “It’s getting this done.  One way or another.  We’ve found a way to direct the power in the room, too.  Create a vortex, so if Kali, me and Cas don’t have all the power to zap him into the portal?  It’ll…keep funneling, keep sucking up what’s in it’s path - which’ll be Lucifer.  So long as someone chants the keywords that shuts it after he swan dives, we’re good.  But-”

“If no one does, _you’ll_ get sucked in, too.  The _angels_ will,” Sam realized with alarm, desperately looking between his mate and Castiel.

“It’s our failsafe so he doesn’t get out in the world, kid.  No matter what, he’s back in the cage.  We thought this was a pretty damn _fantastic_ idea,” the alpha pointed out to Sam.  “Because if he flips?  If he finds out that he _can’t_ have you?  He’s gonna go on the warpath, no doubt about it.  You, Sam, you're his true vessel.  Eventually, he'll burn outta good ol' Nick, there, so he'll want to destroy as much as he can before that body can't hold him.  This way, he can’t unleash any rage, he’ll-”

“But both you angels risk getting pulled into the cage too with your warding!  I _didn’t_ agree to this, Gabriel!”  He rushed into his mate’s personal space with a growl, “There was nothing in the fine print about you putting yourself at risk!  You were always supposed to be able to fly out of there, fly _us all_  out of there-!”

“Kali can do it,” Gabriel tried to rein him in by grabbing a fistful of his shirt.  “ _She_ can get you and Dean out.  Hey, I didn’t like you being used as _bait_ , we’re still doing that part, aren’t we?  I get it.  It’s personal.  But the point is, shit goes south, Lucifer’s gone.  For good!  Kali saves you, Dean, the fuckin’ world, and _most_ importantly?  Our little girl.  You can’t tell us there’s a better plan than that.”

Sam stammered trying to come up with something, but he logically couldn’t find the fault in it.  Emotionally?  He was freaking the fuck out.  Because if they couldn’t power through it, like they’d originally mapped out, they’d all be caught in the riptide.  Except, it wouldn’t only be Lucifer in the undertow-

There hadn’t been a scenario before where Sam had been faced with the idea of losing Gabriel.

He always thought that they’d fall back if it didn’t work.  Regroup.  Try for another plan.    
  
Hell, he and Dean had gone all the way to Plan Z before something worked, but they'd always won!  Except, they'd never played the game with these... _Titans_ on their side.  Ones who were all in from the jump, whether it meant living or dying, their power was absolute; and if it didn't work there was (Sam supposed) acceptance?  But he sure as hell didn't accept it!

They _always_ had an escape plan, but somehow along the line Castiel and his own damn mate decided that, no matter what, Sam and Dean’s survival trumped their own.

Gabriel, fuck, he was a _master_ at running, at hiding.  Yet, here he was…giving himself no other option than fighting until the end.

For Sam.  
  
If that didn’t show the way Sam had influenced him, had changed his entire life then nothing did.  He’d transformed Gabriel at a level that was so deep, it had rewired who he was, who he’d been for his entire life, since practically the beginning of time.  The archangel who fled Heaven to walk among the Pagans wouldn’t have done this, the Trickster who served up just desserts would have laughed at the mere thought but now?  He loved, he had two someones he put above himself and that result was...baffling.

Anxiety was running through the omega, because he wasn’t sure if he could do this, if he could keep his game face on walking into this knowing how _finite_ it was.

“Hey, hey,” Gabriel whispered, cupping his cheeks and trying to get his attention.  “This is for you and the pup, kiddo.  That’s what it’s always been about.  And we’re gonna do this, okay?  Don’t worry about the ‘what if’s, this _is_ gonna work.  C’mon, final stretch, remember?”

Sam’s hands flew up to cover his mate’s, still trying to process the ramifications and he shuddered out, “I don’t like this.”

A crooked grin tugged on the alpha’s face as he clucked his tongue.  “You don’t have to like it.  It’s happening.  Now, you just gotta say when you’re ready.  Because all of us, we’re itching to be down a Devil, and save a certain planet.  Is that something you can buck-up for?”  He leaned far enough forward to kiss the omega’s forehead and teased, “You sure were gung-ho before, Sammy.”

He just lingered there, in Gabriel’s warmth as he tried to repair his frayed nerves into something more workable.  Because that was the thing - he _had_ been ready.  He wanted to end this, today, and now that all the preparations were in place and they were waiting on him?  Honestly, waiting for Sam to make the call and put this into action?   
  
He had to take a deep breath.

“Yeah.  Let’s do this.”

“There’s my boy,” Gabriel jumped up and looked around the room.  “Everyone else?”

He was met with nods and words of affirmation, even though Sam’s scent was a bit uneasy Gabriel would snap his fingers and block it out before they headed to the warehouse.  Lucifer couldn’t scent him either, because who knows what Sam would be thinking or feeling at any given moment.  This new development he hadn’t told his mate about really was the end-all of it, and he was trying to stay positive.

No matter what, after today, the world would be finished with Lucifer.

Sam could only hope that he wouldn’t be separated from his mate in the crossfire.  For good.

\----------------------

They were all in their places and Sam had never been more afraid of anything in his life.

He wasn’t worried about himself, he wasn’t…even worried about the pup, Sam knew that she could (and would) defend herself.  He’d seen it firsthand.

No, Sam was terrified about everyone else.  Because their lives were on the line, and he was the key piece, the person who was in a position to stop it.  To end it all.

Sam stood alone, out in the open in the warehouse with a cold sweat running down his back as he took one, final deep breath in and shut his eyes.  He was trying to work up a facade: trying to channel his mate’s poise and mimic his gameface.  Sam had to be the player on the board that everyone needed him to be right now.

With his fists clenched, he reached out.

He prayed to the humanity’s biggest threat.  To the one they’d been ducking and dodging, hiding from at every given turn - and now… _Sam_ was calling him to come on down.

The air in the room dropped in temperature, as though a vengeful spirit was ghosting around, but this chill reached sub-zero temperatures.  And when Sam opened his eyes again, he knew exactly why.

Lucifer appeared so nonchalant, right down to the amused smirk on his face when he greeted, “Why, Sammy.  I’ve been waiting for you.  Haven’t been returning my calls, dodging my texts, so I’ve gotta wonder - what this one’s about?”

Sam’s heart skipped a beat because-

He was here.

And that meant _everything_.

In reality, half the battle was making sure he’d show.  Now that he was in the room with all the sigils, with all the traps - the Devil  _wouldn’t_ be leaving.  Not until he was stuffed back down and into the cage.  Holy shit.  At least that was over, at least Sam’s prayer had been enough to reach him, to lure him in because Lucifer boldly thought he was untouchable, oh, was he wrong and…

Sam needed to get back to the present.

“There’s been too much damage,” Sam’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, he had to clear his throat.  “You’re ripping through the planet, you’re on a _rampage_.  You said that all you wanted was the showdown with your brother.  Once you get that, once you fight Michael, you’ll stop.  Right?”

Lucifer considered him with interest and took a few steps forward, putting his hands on his hips.  “That’s been the plan the whole time.  Had to do something while I waited, hm?  Something to get your attention.”  He stopped abruptly and asked, “But I’ve been wondering.  How have you been blocking me from your dreams?  Why haven’t I even been allowed to make my case?  Does it have to do with the fact that a certain little brother decided to take what was _mine_?”

This was the first time he’d shown any inflection, but the change in his demeanor was palpable, “Took you right out from underneath me?  That mark, Sam.  Oh, does it makes my blood boil.”

“That doesn’t matter.”  The omega swiftly shot down the topic.  “What matters is right now.  And you fighting the brother you _should_ care about fighting.  And my terms.”

“Sam, Sam, Sam,” the archangel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I know you’ve got the rings.  Know your brother’s over in the corner.  Probably got a whole lotta other things up your sleeve.  But I don’t care about _that_ , I care about _you_ ,” he implored, but the rest of his admissions left Sam stark-still.  “How do you think you’ve got the strength to beat me?  Hah!  Being mated, why, _that’s_ made you a cocky little thing, hasn’t it?”

Lucifer was on a roll.  He didn't miss a beat when he narrowed his eyes and snipped, “I also care about that nasty, white-hot power you managed to zap me with.”  He pointed a very deliberate finger, and before he could march over and close in on him with more demands, Sam felt the energy in the room shift.

He could feel the others arrive, because their power warmed the frost-bitten air.

Now, it was only a matter of time before everything would spiral.    
  
Sam caught a glimpse of Dean darting out from behind the corner with the set of rings, just in time.  But, _goddammit_ , Lucifer was faster!  With a flick of his wrist, he knocked Dean backwards as quickly as he came out of hiding, sending him crashing up against a wall.  Sam's jaw dropped, he wanted to reach out as Dean slammed down to the unforgiving ground, grunting out in pain.

“No, no!”  Lucifer chuckled and shook his head.  “You, Sammy, are planning a one-on-one inside your grapefruit, aren’t you?” he taunted and licked his lips.  It was ironic, because at another time…that’s _exactly_ what it would have been, but it was impossible now.  “I’ll give it to you.  You say yes, we go head-to-head.  I let you open your little portal, we see if you’ve got the strength to hop in.  Pretty damn honorable of you, leaving your alpha behind.  Gotta give you _that_."  With a twisted smile, he snickered, "Unfortunately, I can't say my bro would do the same for you.  Given his, well...track-record.  You've got a poor choice in men, Sam, winding up with a spineless deserter of a mate.  You could do better.”  
  
That was like a punch to the gut, because if only Lucifer knew the plan and how wrong he was...the fact that Sam was never in danger, now he felt like a fucking coward because it was _Gabriel_ ready to make that sacrifice.  The Devil would realize his mistake, soon enough.

Sam didn’t see it as much as he sensed it, but he knew Kali’s magic was spurring Dean back upwards and sending the rings sliding across the cement, back into his grip.  He wasn’t sure where he’d gotten this sixth sense from but - wait.  

_Of course,_ he did.  

The grace inside him, she had eyes everywhere.  She was calculating the situation already by herself and feeding Sam, her father, who she was providing all the information to.

But did Lucifer know any of this?

Apparently, he didn’t.  
  
The vacuum was unleashed and a whirlwind kicked up within the walls of the warehouse.    
  
Sam was jarred backwards on his feet, and he looked alarmed, true emotion leaking into his scent now matter how hard Gabriel had worked to cover them.  Maybe it was the pup again?  Maybe she was...

“How-?!”  Lucifer's eyes were wide as he spun around, Castiel, Kali and Gabriel all coming out of the woodwork and beginning to glow from their cores.

“Hah!”  Dean cheered victoriously, “You don’t get the option of jumpin’ my brother’s bones to ‘let us’ open the portal, you winged dick!”

Somehow, the hunter’s movement and his chanting had been cloaked from Lucifer.  Whether it was Kali herself or Sam was a mystery, but Lucifer was still in striking distance of the omega.

He stared Sam down, entire essence transforming, ebbing and flowing into something dark - into what he _truly_ was - the manifestation of pure evil that walked the Earth.  He taunted, “You _will_ say yes.  Or else I’ll kill each one of your friends.  One by one.  Right in front of you, until you’re begging me.  I‘ll leave my brother until last.”  He spun around, clothing whipping back and forth in the wake of the vortex, singing out, “Who wants to go first?!”

Kali was chanting, her body consumed by flames as she unleashed a pulsing stream of fire to knock the Devil backwards.  Gabriel and Castiel were both armed with their angel blades, but not without grace to join in with the initial blast.

Lucifer was engulfed by light, fire and an explosion that knocked him away from Sam…but when the light dimmed-   
  
He was laughing.

His vessel, while already in a state of decay, sported only a few more boils and burns as signs of distress than before.  His grace didn’t seem visibly weakened by the hit, but it certainly riled him up.

“Was that all you’ve got?!”  He taunted and spun back around to the omega.  “Last chance, Sammy.  Say yes, or it’s gonna get _messy_.”

Sam’s heart was in his stomach because that…that was _supposed_ to work.  Or at least do more!  Do _something_ , but all it managed was to kick the sleeping giant.  Poking a goddamn bear with a stick and he had awoken, no longer a coaxing force, but an outlaw clutching a ransom note demanding Sam pay up.  The omega was beginning to panic, because he could scent disbelief in the air from his comrades.  It ripped past him in waves, riding on the violent winds towards the cage.  He could scent the tingling of fear and that didn’t mean _anything_ good-

“I’ll start with the little seraph, then,” Lucifer announced in childlike excitement, “Castiel is in way over his head, may as well cut it off-”

But before he could get too far, Gabriel had jumped in front of Lucifer and shoved him away.  They clashed in a bright flash of light that was too fast for the human eye to comprehend, but it ended with Gabriel crashing to the floor and Lucifer sporting a gash, leaking grace, across his forearm.

“You’ve become a thorn in my side,” he growled at Gabriel.  “Even after you’d done the unthinkable and marred my vessel, I’d hoped you’d come around.  I was willing to forgive you!  I’d thought you’d learned your lesson from our first fight, brother.”

“Yeah, about that.”  The alpha pushed himself up from the ground and rolled his shoulders, “I’m really bad about learning lessons.  Teaching them, on the other hand?  Excellent!  So why don’t you just hop back in your box, and we’ll call it a day.”

Sam felt sick, because he could feel through their bond how his mate was playing through the pain as the two archangels launched at each other.  There were broken bones, his insides were bleeding, but he wasn’t showing it.  The _pup_ was showing _Sam_ , showing him how his alpha was weaning, slowing, even though he got in a hit - and another head-to-head…

“I’ll say yes!”  Sam blurted it out before he knew what he was doing.

Everyone turned and looked to him with shock, because they knew.  And they had no idea what the fuck he was planning.

“There we go,” Lucifer clapped his hands together, but paused, eyes raking over Gabriel.  “Looks like you‘re good for something after all.  Leverage.  But, it looks like I won out and he's mine.  Just like destiny would have it.  Don‘t think I‘ll need you for much longer, brother.”

The words made Sam want to spit back in disgust, the thought that someone could even imagine that he was anyone but Gabriel’s…

But now that he noticed from a heart-skipping falter...the vortex - the opening was expanding at an alarming rate and the winds were wild and sounded like a fucking freight train.  It had begun to suck the entire side of the room, the sidings of the walls, bending metal (all kinds of iron, steel and titanium) in half before it snapped and shot inside like a bullet.  The cracking of the warehouse's bones, the framework, all of it was slowly crumbling-    
  
It was like a black hole, in destruction and view, there was nothingness waiting on the other side but it was dragging everything towards the hungry funnel.  Everyone was beginning to fight against the pull, against the tearing winds, and it _wasn’t_ slowing.  The cracks in the cement were threatening to cave in the very foundation itself, and Dean tripped over his own feet - Castiel rushing over to keep him from being dragged down into the pit.

Why was this happening?  Was it the sigils that intensified the pull?

They were running out of time!

“Just don‘t hurt him-” Sam began to beg because they were still too damn close, but a wicked smirk crossed the Devil’s face the moment the words were out of his mouth.

“Oh?  Is that one of your terms?  Because I'd really just love to teach that lesson he's never been capable of-” Lucifer raised his hands to snap his finger, and Sam didn’t think, he lunged.

Fuck!  Sam never planned on being in a grappling match with Lucifer, but he managed to wrestle his hand down and it shocked the archangel.  Lucifer’s eyes were wide from where Sam was straddling him, and roiled his fist, with enough strength to land a punch that left Lucifer reeling.  He was malleable, unlike the angel's in the past where Sam's fist bounced off, knuckles bleeding, like he was punching a brick wall.

“Sammy!” Gabriel shouted from behind him, but the omega wasn’t paying attention.

He needed to protect his mate, his family, and this threat-

Sam still had no idea how he gained the upper hand, but once Lucifer realized what was happening he looked at him with sheer shock, “This isn’t demon blood, you’ve managed to create an act of blasphemy greater than me!”  He kicked the omega off him, recognizing the tendrils of grace that broke through Gabriel’s barrier when he acted.

And then, Lucifer pulsed anew with rage.

“Brother, you didn't just touch what was mine.  You created a nephil spawn and wrecked my vessel-!”  He was seeing red as he spun on his heels towards Gabriel, who fell into a defensive stance.

Instead, he batted his eyelashes and quipped, “What can I say?  Couldn’t help myself.  I mean, have you seen my mate?”

“Gabe, get away from him!” Sam shouted, because he knew his alpha couldn’t take another attack!  He _knew_ Gabrielwouldn’t last being the brunt of Lucifer’s fury, now that it was out in the open and the Devil was thirsty for blood.  Especially, when Lucifer's blood-lust was focused on Gabriel.

“Sorry, kiddo, gotta protect you and my little princess, right?”  He winked and readied his angel blade.

Somehow...Sam was faster than _them all._

The omega had his hand wrapped around the back of Lucifer’s neck, and Sam’s arm - no, his _entire body_ \- was consumed in a blue-silver light.     
  
Lucifer was struggling, he was choking and suddenly clawing at the grasp around his windpipe.  Sam was tightening his grip, and the muscles around the Devil’s throat were not iron-clad like an angel, just as he'd experienced _before_ when he landed that punch!  No: they were soft and pliable under his grasp - like a _human’s_.

So the omega didn’t hesitate for a second.

He wrapped his other arm around Lucifer’s chest, nails digging into his shoulder for traction, Lucifer still fighting fruitlessly to break free.  He was probably horrified in shock, gagging and kicking, but Sam didn't think, he was in survival mode and-    
  
In a hot burst, all-consuming rush of adrenaline and surging energy - Sam _ripped_.

Everything was covered in a blinding light.

Someone shouted, “Close the portal!”

Sam was soaked in an indescribable, sweltering heat.    
  
He was trying to balance, like some kind of bobble-head swaying between feet without a hint of what happened because his eyes wouldn't focus.

Then in the next second, he thought he heard Gabriel was whispering something in his ear.  Still, while he recognized the timbre, his mate’s scent, he couldn’t make out the syllables, put them together and understand the words-

But…he was numb.  In a way he’d never experienced.

His body was vibrating, exhaustion was hitting him, the pup was rolling around, everything was just - _too much._ His body went from sensory overload to shut-down in an act of self-preservation, at least that’s all he could think to explain it, since his vision and brain were too fuzzy to make anything out anymore...

The scent of his mate’s utter disbelief and the - liberation? was the last thing Sam remembered before the black out washed over him, gravity had its way and he fell into someone’s arms.  That was much better than the unforgiving, broken, and shattered cement ground, he supposed...

\-----------------------

It was going on a solid week.

A solid week of pacing, of worry, of constantly jumping if Sam’s unconscious body so much as twitched - but Kali _assured_ Gabriel that he was fine.  He was simply burnt out and needed to recover.

It looked as though the pup had warmed up to her, and she took a damn huge risk even taking the chance of checking on the little one’s status.  But Gabriel needed to heal just as much as his mate.  He’d taken the brunt of his brother’s fury and his grace, hell, even his Pagan power was running dangerously low.  It was all he could do to knit himself back together, let alone do an angelic ultrasound.

So Kali had volunteered.  Although she'd expelled the bulk of her power in the initial blast on Lucifer, it was always in the playbook to keep a reserve in order to haul Dean and Sam far away from there.  Plus, the woman was goddamn bulletproof even where the pip was concerned, anyone else would have been gun-shy after the last incident.

She kept a vigil, checking on the pup and Sam daily, and laughed with girlish glee the first time the baby kicked against her magic.  Like Kali was tickling her.  Perhaps the pup just needed to get used the to goddess, recognize she wasn’t a threat, because all the baby knew was soul energy and grace.  She hadn’t experienced Pagan magic.

And Kali’s was a _very_ powerful and special brand.  She had a feeling that during the showdown with Lucifer, this little girl could sense the difference between good and evil: she was smart enough to know that Kali was on their side.  Before, the Goddess approached the pup as a lone, abrupt force - naturally the pup would've raised her defenses.  However, when they'd all collected together, as a team against the Devil, and Kali was fighting alongside her _fathers..._ well, energy was energy.  That's what this baby used to discern what _safety_ was.  
  
The pup decided _Kali_ was safety.  She'd never admit to it, but it kind of warmed her previously-blackened heart.  Yet another one of these foolish human emotions she was getting sucked into by the Winchesters.  Would it ever end?!

In a way, through the length of the week they bonded.  The pup was much more active than Sam, she was happy and moving around but her strength was greatly depleted.

Once Gabriel’s grace had rose enough to get a peek inside (right around that one week mark) he was shocked to find the pup…almost resembled a normal human.  The flicker of grace was still there, but it was like the dimmed burning wick of a candle.  He spoke with Kali in a hushed voice, asking if her energy had ‘leveled up’ during the time Sam had been K.O.’d and she shook her head, musing about how their warhead may be disarmed.

Or, the pup could be the power source keeping Sam breathing.  A Nephil-ICU.

He wasn’t in a coma, but he wasn’t in a simple sleep, either.

The omega was completely drained, physically, mentally and, in a way, spiritually.

It was driving all the alphas insane with worry.  Gabriel’s hovering wasn’t doing any good and when he demanded Cas heal his mate, the seraph said he already had.  The superficial wounds weren’t the problem, it was deeper than that and would take more time.  

Dean had the same frustrated reaction as Gabriel did, but his lead him into thrashing around, breaking things in the garage and then cleaning shit back up.  At least it wasn’t his normal drinking.  Apparently, mated life agreed with him.  Still, nothing could quell his hotheaded alpha temper.

Bobby was the glue that held the group together after they all but tore down the warehouse.  He made sure that everyone was eating (Gabriel included, because of his depleted grace), sleeping (that meant _everyone_ , ya idjits) and they did things during the day to keep them from going insane.  The old alpha set up a gun range for target practice, if Gabriel ever had the close-encounter of being near-human again, he needed to know how to use a gun _and_ perfect it.  Kali accompanied because it was fun.  They played cards sometimes, watched TV, anything and everything they could while Sam continued to sleep.

Then the moment he stirred, everyone rushed to his bedside.

All the supernatural beings could tell the shift between sleep and consciousness and they were on high alert.  With Dean in tow, they were battling, pawing at each other and one wrong move away from smiting to get up the stairwell!  Gabriel was the smart one and used his brain, snapping himself into the room.

He wanted his face to be the first thing Sam saw when he awoke, so he planted his ass right down on the side of the bed and rolled his eyes at the sounds of the scuffle for the door directly outside.

The omega moved in slow motion, which didn’t surprise anyone.

His brow furrowed and he grunted slightly, more than likely taking stock of his body.  But the second he realized he was awake, his hands flew to his middle.  He need to know the pup was there, that she was still all right, and when he felt the now-prominent bump his eyes flew open.

Because he could scent he wasn’t alone, his family was slowly beginning to shuffle in, but they gave Gabriel and Sam the space they needed.    
  
...Although, they _were_ out of breath and flushed from their all-out battle to get into the room.  The scent of slight embarrassment was interesting (Gabriel found it friggin hilarious), because now that they thought about it, Sam wasn't going anywhere.  The fact that he was up and may need them, well, it triggered everyone's inner alpha, they couldn't be held accountable because of biology!

Gabriel reached out and covered one of his hands with his own.  “How ya doing there, kiddo?”

“Hey,” Sam’s voice sounded dazed (but only for a second) before he shot up and demanded with clarity, “What happened?!  Where’s Lucifer, are we-”

“Shh, Sammy, it’s okay,” his mate soothed and gently pushed him back down to the mattress.  “Lay down, you’ve been dozin’ for over a week, I doubt you're at one-hundred quite yet.  Don’t wanna pull anything!”

But the omega’s head was darting around the room, he was counting people and everyone was _here -_ which meant only one thing…

“We…won?”  His voice was laced in pure disbelief.

“Heh, you mean _you_ won!”  Dean chuckled lightly and walked over to straddle the chair right by his brother’s bedside.  He glanced at Gabriel and asked with barely-contained delight, “Can I tell ‘im?”

The archangel looked between the Winchesters carefully, before he gave him the go-ahead.

“Dude!  It was _nuts_ , you went full-on Rambo!”  A massive grin lit up his features as he relayed the story.  “Apparently, an archangel blade ain’t the only thing that can ice the Devil.  You didn’t _just_ break his neck, you snapped it clean off!  It was _fireworks_!  The grace in you Kali said, like, kept him trapped in his vessel!  Your grace jammed his inside without a way out, and when you tore off his head?  It was like cuttin’ off the head of a snake!   _The_ snake!”

“I, uh, kinda had to hide because it woulda burned out my eyes, Cas healed up the burns, but _dude_ ,” Dean shook his head in sheer amazement of the memory.  “You killed him.  Didn’t send him back to the cage, you straight-up _ended_ him.  We never have to worry about another Apocalypse, another plot to spring Lucifer again!  He’s dead.”

There was a silence that overtook the room as Sam…stared blankly.

He tried to remember it.  Sam knew he felt this terror taking over and he (like an idiot) went head-to-head with Lucifer.  But…he thought it was a suicide mission.  He was _acting_ , he wasn’t thinking, but apparently the brawl had ended with him on top.  Sam huffed a sound of disbelief, he tried to recollect any memories he could-

The more he thought about it…the more they didn’t matter.

“Holy shit.”  His bafflement was evident in the breathlessness of his voice.  “Please don’t say you’re fucking with me.”

“Nah, he’s not.  It was a bloodbath, I was in the splash zone and it ruined my favorite jacket,” Kali added and winked.  “We’re just glad you’re walking among the living.  I’ve been watching your pup.  She’s doing just fine, we were all wondering about you, Sam.”

“Thank you, Kali,” was Sam’s immediate response as he cradled his stomach.  “God, I’m so glad she’s alright.  I was so scared and…hell.  She probably saved us.”  He glanced down and sighed, whispering to the baby, “I’m sorry.  I promised I wouldn’t use you and-”

“You didn’t.  You said it yourself, Sam,” Castiel piped up for the first time, “She saved us.  I believe you entered a fugue state, one that was kill or be killed.  I believe that her power overtook you, and her instincts overwhelmed and crashed your system.  She wanted to protect her fathers, her family.  What I mean to say is that you _couldn't_ have stopped her, even if you wished to.”

“Already gotta mind of her own,” Kali seconded Cas’ point.  “I’ve had some girl time with her.  She’s spunky.  Her energy, it’s the quirkiest little mix of you two dumbasses.  But she’s got a sweetness to her.  I agree with the angel, I don’t think you could've prevented her protecting us if you tried.”

Sam squinted at Kali and tilted his head.  “How do you even know this about her?”

“I was too damn low on fuel to do check ups,” Gabriel answered him with a shrug.  “Kali kept a close eye.  She does this…thing.  Doesn’t just touch the surface with grace like angels do, Kal does her own Goddess Method.  She goes all Zen, and her, whatchacallit, _essence_ , I guess?  It travels deeper and she sees the life from a much different perspective.”

“Pagans prefer natural means.  I can get a closer look through a single drop of blood than Gabriel can with his grace, and she allowed it.”  Although Kali was hesitant to mention the ’blood’ part, it was ritual and part of the magic she worked.  Sam couldn’t be too upset, since she was putting the baby first and herself in danger once more.  “She’ll recognize my magic once she’s born right away.  She won’t fear me, even though she’s half angel.”

“That’s…good.”  Sam decided in that moment.  “Wow.  So how’s the rest of the world doing?”

The mated alpha pair looked between one another, and Dean decided to take that one.  “Well, demons don’t know which way is up.  Friggin Crowley took over Hell, which isn’t the worst thing to happen.  Hopefully, he can get shit sorted out on that front.  Cas and me have been taking care of the rogue demon cases, but they’re starting to slow down.  Um.  Other than that?”

“The angels are also a bit flabbergasted,” Castiel amended, “We didn’t let anyone know what happened, but the Host felt Lucifer’s death like a shock wave.  We hurried back here and hid under the warding.  Michael may not have gotten the battle he wanted, but - from what I heard - he’s beginning to lead Heaven in a new direction.  A better direction.”

“We’ll have to stay hidden,” Sam realized.  “They’ll be pissed.  If they find out that I killed Lucifer?  If Michael finds out that he didn’t get to have his fight, because of _me_?”

“Hey, you’re thinking too hard,” Gabriel ran a hand through his mate’s hair and hushed him.  “How would you, a meager little human, kill the Morningstar?  We keep cloaking you and the babe, no one’s the wiser.  Hell, no one even knows I’m around.  Say we’ve got the best shot in town.”

“He’s not wrong.”  Kali leaned in the doorway and said, “Even on my side, there aren’t any whispers of Loki _or_ Gabriel.  Some are assuming that Death turned on its enslaver, or Lucifer, bound in the wrong vessel, ended up self-destructing.  No signs point to the Winchesters, as they refused to be vessels, for once.”

“See?”  He pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead.  “Told ya.  Now, we get to enjoy the rest of you being preggers, get our little family and - oh!  The world’s not ending anymore!  How do ya like them apples?”

Sam’s eyes lit up at the word ‘apples’ because he was goddamn starving.

“Can we eat?  I really, really, really want food right now.”  He was full-blown puppy eyes and pleading scents.

“Yeah,” Gabriel laughed out loud and inquired, “Ya think you can handle some stairs?  Know Bobby’s gonna wanna see your ass, now that you’re awake.  He just didn't want to take part in the Battle of the Muttonheads, throwing knees and elbows all to see yer drowsy mug, first.  No matter how precious!" he hastily added in, but then cast a glare to the others and grumbled, "Least _someone_ has a brain.”

The omega's amused huff was soft as he experimentally sat up, Gabriel ready to spot him when his feet hit the ground.  Yeah, his body was sore and he felt a bit out of sorts, like he was slowly coming back to himself, but he could walk.  Sam tried to ignore the proud glances and stares that met him from around the room as his friends and family began to file out before him.  It allowed Sam to take as much time as he needed heading downstairs without causing a pile-up behind him, and it gave him and Gabriel a moment of privacy.

Gabriel waited for them to leave before tugging his mate down into a searing, hot kiss.

It took Sam by surprise, but he leaned into it, sighing happily.

“What was that for?”  He asked, when Gabriel finally pulled away.

“Well, it would be weird to make out with you while you were comatose.  So I’ve been waiting to do that for a _damn_ long time.”  He wiggled his eyebrows then promptly grabbed a handful of Sam’s ass.  “That, too.”

“Oh, God.”

“Mm, I can have you screaming that later, if you want…”  He couldn’t help it, the innuendos just kept flowing because he was so damn happy.  “But first, let’s feed the beast!  Both’a them!”

“Hey,” Sam stopped them both in the doorway before they could descend the steps.  He took a moment to appreciate his mate’s curious expression, Sam took in every detail of those whiskey-colored eyes, the slight upturn of a smirk and everything that made him Gabriel.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.”  He couldn’t stop or hold back from surging upward again and claiming his omega’s lips.  “You’re making yourself too tempting, you know?”

“Sorry.  I know you can’t get enough,” Sam teased openly and without a hint of remorse.

“Yer damn right, I can’t.”  Gabriel would be the first to admit he was right.  “Now, march downstairs before I drag your ass back to bed!”

Sam shot him a small smile, one full of warmth and adoration before he turned and reached back for the archangels hand.  Gabriel chuckled and took it, allowing himself to be tugged by his excitable mate.  God, he was so happy to see Sam up and about, because this whole being without powers thing?  Meant sleep.  That led to dreams and nightmares about what would happen if Sam never woke up.    
  
What if they'd fought, taken down Lucifer and their future was set for a happily ever after, but Sam wasn't by his side?  It didn't matter now, Sam's hand was warm, his scent was blissful and they were together.  
  
Oh, and there was something else that simply thrilled Gabriel as he followed behind his gorgeous mate.  Even from this angle, the alpha could see the pup: the distinct, pretty damn huge (although Gabriel wouldn't tell him that) roundness of Sam's middle.  There was no hiding or masking it without the use of magic anymore.

And that…made Gabriel _unbelievably_ happy.  He’d always been possessive, sure, but the fact that their baby was getting so close to being in their arms?  The anticipation and glee was killing him!  Oh, and there was the little fact that she had saved the world.  Their little girl had a bright future ahead of her, all right, if she was already breaking records like that from the womb.

Damn, was he a proud parent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeek! We're almost at the end of the entire story, where did the time go?! 
> 
> But first, I wanted to let you know: the good news is that the final chapter is just that. A chapter and _not_ an epilogue  <3 
> 
> So I'm not cutting you short with a couple hundred words to wrap up the fic or something similar, because I know there's some unknowns when waiting for the final post. Personally, I'VE had that anxiety when following WIP fics before when the end is nigh! Rest assured it'll be just as long as the rest of the other parts in the fic :) In fact, I just checked and it's over 7k, yay! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I plan on wrapping this up next Wednesday! Love you all so much! xoxo


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end of not only this installment, but the entire series! Wow, I've gotta thank EVERYONE who has stuck with me through every work in this series!
> 
> The first part, _Playing the Victim | Playing the Fool_ was initially written for the SPN ABO Big Bang. That fic was so much fun and it's the most popular out of my Sabriel-exclusive works. Twenty more kudos and I'll break 300, which is a person goal because of the ship - I want great things for Sabriel, dammit!
> 
> When I got to _Playing the Ward | Playing the Rogue_ (which I had started writing before posting PV/PF) everything just flowed and I was into this installment before I even knew it!
> 
> And here we are! The final chapter! It's nice and long and I hope everyone likes the ending! I would love to hear your thoughts and THANK YOU again for reading! Adore you guys so much! xoxo
> 
> OH!
> 
> One more shout-out to my amazing beta, [dr-dean](http://dr-dean.tumblr.com/), who kicked ass and helped me times a million with this fic! Love you to the moon and back! <3

Everyone had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the thing was…that it never did.

Michael’s reign in Heaven never turned into the “Paradise on Earth” that was promised if he defeated Lucifer, which was for the best.  No one wanted the angels to touch or ruin anything else down on their little planet.  Besides, the victorious archangel was 'too busy being worshiped' - or at least that’s what Castiel relayed to the rest of the group.

Things moved slower.  Yet, the pace was nice.  It was an unexpected and welcomed change from the seals breaking, from unleashing the devil, to the constant chase of angels on their ass _and_ the threat of being angel condoms.  With the apocalypse avoided, the next thing they really had to do was wait.

Kind of.

Even though demons were no longer a threat, there were still monsters and things that went bump in the night.  Sam wanted to be useful until he couldn’t anymore.  He was getting damn close to the point of no return when it came to the pup.  Once their princess came along, she would have their undivided attention.  It was a fact.

So hunting, in the meantime, was more of a sport to keep them occupied.

It was also something Dean managed to drag Kali into and sometimes Bobby.  Even though her debt to Gabriel was paid - which was the only reason she’d joined the team in the first place - the hunter had begged her to “just try it on for size.”  The goddess rolled her eyes, it was very, _very_ obviously beneath her (Cas, too) but her damn soft spot for Dean brought her into a case that involved a nest of vampires.

It turned out to be a really, really friggin good time to have her: they’d been outnumbered _and_ outgunned.  Kali...treated it like a game.  She didn’t use her powers, nope, she used the machete Dean had armed her with because she was told she “needed to act like a hunter.”  

Instead of flames engulfing the nest, it was the Winchesters, a goddess and a seraph hacking off head after head, Gabriel waiting in the wings in case something went wrong.  Nothing did, but he wanted to make sure to give his omega space and let the brothers do their thing.

Kali ended up _enjoying_ the hunt.  She obviously had to power herself down, but she said that was part of the fun of it.  She had lived a very, _very_ long time - this wasn’t even a blip on her radar and Dean knew it, so why not take up Sam’s spot on the team when he went on maternity leave?

The only downfall was that if she committed as Sam's replacement, Kali would be hunting from start to finish.  Which meant building the case from the ground up, doing the busy work (research, interviews, crime scene inspections), not just firing first and asking questions later.  And Kali was _just_ as terrible as Cas was at interviewing witnesses, playing the whole FBI persona.

She wasn’t awkward, she was aggressive!  Kali had that take-no-shit mentality and always looked a second away from throwing a sucker-punch, Jesus Christ!  Where Sam had a nice bedside manner and a way with people, Kali had the exact opposite.  There were many doors slammed in their faces on a few trial runs, they constantly cursed out as the ‘bad cops.’  Which was awkward, because _Dean_ was used to playing bad cop!  After too many 'errors' in their trials, they just left her in the goddamn car, which _obviously_ made her even more driven to get in on the interviewing process.  It was sheer _madness_.

Sam would have to work with her, one on one, because his due date was rapidly approaching.  While he couldn’t be happier, Dean was terrified at being left alone with Kali on the job.  Right now, they introduced her as a Fed 'in training' but once she was full-fledged and Sam was gone?  That'd be a horse of a different color.  A pissed off horse, too.

\-------------------------

No one knew exactly how it was going to happen.  That was the thing.  Timing wasn’t an issue, but the nephilim factor was a nail-biter and had everyone at the edge of their seats right up until the day that “it” happened.

“It” was the strangest way that a delivery could have gone down, half-angel, or not.

Kali, now that she had joined the Winchesters, had made a new rule.  They were upgrading from shitty motels to respectable (borderline _frilly_ ) hotels, because the alpha refused to travel in filth.  She had the money (or could _create_ the cash), and as long as the Winchesters got to pick the room with the easy exit on the bottom floor: that worked for them.

On one such day, she was kicked back and reading a magazine on one of the lounges in said “frilly hotel” when she felt nothing more than the briefest flicker.  Like a wisp of energy and grace.  She paused and closed the pages, trying to focus on what the sensation was.

After she closed her eyes and followed it, she realized it was the pup she had forged a bond with while Sam was unconscious.  But…why was it reaching out to _her_?

When she felt it again, she knew something must be happening, something serious and she surged to her feet to find the pregnant omega.

He was in the adjoining room relaxing while Dean and Cas did recon, and Kali pounded on the door.  When he didn’t answer right away, she took a step back and used a burst of her power to pulverize the lock.  Now that was out of her way, she charged in to see Sam in bed on his side and groaning.

“Hey!”  The omega sounded indignant, “You can’t just bust in here, what if I was naked?  What if Gabriel and I-”

“I highly doubt that.”  She narrowed her eyes and demanded, “You’re in pain.  What’s happening?”

“I don’t…I don’t know,” Sam's voice shook and he tried to sit up, asking in puzzlement, “Why are you here?”

“She reached out to me.  Got my attention.  So I’m assuming she wanted me here.”  Kali ordered, “Up.  Lean against the headboard.”

“ _Wait_ , she-” Sam’s confusion was interrupted when Kali shoved up his shirt and covered his stomach with both her hands - a flashing light pulsing from inside him, one that transferred into her palms.  “Fuck-!” he cursed, the sensation so intense, he could only describe it as - contractions?

“Oh, sweetheart,” Kali cooed to his stomach before taking a deep, stabilizing breath.  “All right,” she brought forth her own fiery energy and reciprocated, sending a pulse back in return as the pup had shared with her, maybe as assurance she was here, because then Kali confidently drew away.

The goddess stared Sam dead in the eyes when she stated, “You’re going into labor.  This pup will be born soon, and I don’t know why, but she wants me to bring her into the world.  I have no fucking idea _how_ nephilim are born.  Obviously, I’m not a doctor so I can’t do a c-section and all male omegas have their pups via cesarean.”

Sam was so shocked, he couldn’t form words.  Although, he didn’t have a problem grunting out when another wave of cramping overwhelmed his system.

“The good part of this, is the second I figure out how to do it, we do it.  No waiting around for you the pup to move into position, for the contractions to get closer together, I just…” she actually appeared to be nervous and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.  “Fucking hell.  Call Gabriel.”

Sam didn’t have to be told twice, and he included all the information Kali had given him in his prayer.  

Which was why the archangel, upon entering, spun around with sheer disbelief and demanded, “My pup decided _you’re_ gonna be the midwife?!  How _the fuck_ does that even work?!”

“Well, I’d say we better heed her wishes,” Sam was breathing heavy, but pointed out, “Remember last time someone touched her without permission?  We’re just lucky Kali won over the baby's trust.  If that had happened to a normal human, a _doctor_ , we’d be looking at a dead body.”

“You’re welcome to chit-chat with your girl,” Kali challenged with her hands on her hips, “but she literally crossed walls to get my attention.  She pulled me in here, right as Sam began having his contractions.  Do you know how nephilim are born, Gabriel?  Please tell me it’s different than human birth.”

He immediately slid into bed next to his mate and kissed Sam’s lips before placing a hand over the pup.  Who was bound and determined (and ready) to make her debut.  Gabriel had to think, though.  After all, this wasn’t exactly a common occurrence.  Everything that had been written about nephilim had been tainted, altered, bastardized through the centuries and there was no real way to know the answer to that.

“We’ve already figured out that I can only get a ready on her grace, but you can communicate,” Gabriel said, almost as though he was admitting defeat.  “Talk with her?  See if you can ask questions, yes or no questions, see what she needs.”

The scents coming from Sam were a freaking wave of excitement, but then terror.

This wasn’t _just_ playing it by ear, this was hoping a Goddess of Destruction would be able to gab with their unborn child in order to find out how the fuck to get it out of his human body?!  Yes, Sam wanted to hold her in his arms, but this was decently horrifying.  If he’d gone into labor, if his water broke, if he’d gone to the hospital - that was fine.

The fact the pup just decided Kali was “the one” put a damper on things.

“Sam.”  The same woman’s voice suddenly snapped him out of his internal freak-out.  “You’ll be fine.  Your little girl will be fine.  Remember, no matter what happens, we’ve got instantly healing hands on deck.  It could be as easy as me being here, bringing her out into the world with my touch because she’s familiar with it, then you’re healed up.  I’m just going to reach out to her again now, all right?”

He nodded shakily as Kali closed her eyes and placed her warm, pulsing hands back to cup the massive bump.

Sam wasn’t above turning to Gabriel and admitting, “I’m scared.”

The archangel grabbed his cheek and placed a long, lingering kiss on his lips.  “You’ll be fine, just think!  We’re gonna have our little girl as soon as Kali gets word!  Man, this pup’s gotta mind of her own.  We already saw that coming through, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.”  He admitted and squeezed Gabriel’s hands before whispered, “Should you…get the others?  Even though Kali annihilated the door, they could wait in the other suite while we figure out how to deliver the baby.  Something tells me that hospitals aren’t in the forecast.”

Gabriel nodded and agreed, “Okay, doing that sooner rather than later’s a good plan.  I’ll be right back.”

“Wait!”  He reached out and seized his mate’s wrist, “Don’t let them know that anything’s wrong?  Or could be wrong?  Just.  Tell them we’re doing it here because of the warding and stuff?”

He nodded with Sam’s reasoning, because he knew just how quickly Dean would fly into protective big-brother mode, and that was the last thing they needed right now.  “Got it.  Be right back!  No having our little girl without me!”

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes, waving the alpha off.

He glanced down to see a strange show of dimmed fireworks going on underneath his skin as Kali and the pup exchanged Pagan energy, grace and human soul.  It was a flurry of reds, golds and blues that sparked at random.  This must have been the ‘conversation’ Gabriel had insinuated.  

Sam’s mouth was dry as he waited, he was beyond nervous, but it seemed as though the communication was open and that meant progress, right?  Kali hummed every once in awhile, shifted her hands and soothed along the baby bump.  Sam could feel pulses of energy that cracked even deeper into his middle, into the pup and that made him want to jerk away.

Yet, the baby responded to it happily - he could always tell when she was giddy and excited, and right now her energy was as bright as he’d ever witnessed it.  She was ready.  She was thrilled to see the outside world even though she wouldn’t remember any of this upon birth - they just needed to get to that point.

Another contraction punched a grunted and a long wail from Sam, this one hitting him harder and longer than the previous ones.  Goddamn, did that hurt!

That was right around the time Kali pulled away and brushed the matted, sweaty hair away from the omega’s brow.  She was kind and benevolent in that moment, even though it went against her very nature, and Sam couldn’t help but muse about just how much this woman had transformed.  For them, for their cause, even when it had just started as fulfilling a debt.

“A-anything?”  Sam asked, praying there was news.

“She’s ecstatic.  Wants to see her dads and wants me to bring her to them.  She…well, we’re going to have to move fast and get this done because she overzealous.  She’s literally a little ball of energy, bouncing back and forth.  Your contractions are her unable to control her excitement.  I’m worried that they’re going to get too intense and-”

“She’s going to explode from my stomach,” Sam finished, and he knew that he was right.  “Fucking hell.”

“I did what I could to calm her down.  Soothed her energy, told her very soon we’d bring her out.  Emphasis on the _bring_.  She needs to stay put until _we’re_ ready.”  Kali sighed and paused in thought, “She’s protected you before.  Multiple times.  There’s grace in your system because of her.  I think I have an idea.  We‘ll need Gabriel.”

The omega’s stomach was tired in knots and he heard a touchdown in the next room over, knowing that his mate had brought the rest of the crew.  He saw Kali lightening-fast wash a hand over his neck that most definitely hid the terror in his scent and he thanked God she was a quick thinker.  The trudging of feet came through the door and the crew of alphas peeked in.

“Sammy!  Hell yeah, it’s time to meet the princess!” Dean’s enthusiasm was like a bright cloud around him, and the only thing that could make Sam smile.  “Aren’t you stoked?!”

“I can’t wait to see her,” Sam was honest about that part.  “Except the contractions?  Hurt like a bitch!”

Cas was just smiling, the joy in the room giving him comfort as Bobby added in, “You shoulda been ‘round when Ellen gave birth to Jo.  That, right there, was a shit-show.  Woman nearly killed half’a the staff, demanding ‘em to get on with it, she didn’t need the pain meds,” Bobby chuckled at the memory, “Until she did.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine.  I bet Jo was a handful, too,” Sam reminisced with a smile.  “Gabe, Kali needs to talk to you.  We think we can get this show on the road if you guys just wanna wait in the other room?  Watch some football, or something?  You know, drown out my screaming.”  He tacked on the last part with a laugh.

“Hey, you need someone else in here to hold yer hand?  I’m there!”  Dean pointed his finger and promised, “Don’t hold back ‘cause’a pride!”

“I won’t,” Sam gave him a half-sneer then ordered, “Get out!  This could get ugly!”

“Not as ugly as your face!” the alpha shut the door with a sing-song quality to his last quip.

Gabriel was suddenly up in both their business, now that they were alone.  “Okay, what’s happening?”

“She wants to jailbreak.  Insides go ka-boom,” Sam relayed and noticed his mate flinched.  “But Kali?  You said you had an idea?”

“I do,” she confirmed.  “Even though the pup wants me as the third party, obviously she has the closest connection to Sam.  Which means I’m almost positive he’s got grace running through his body, grace that’s become his and doesn’t have to do with the pup.”

“Alright, I’m listening,” Gabriel was on the edge of his seat, because he was nervous as fuck now, too.

“The pup responds to energy and fight-or-flight danger.  She’s not a thinking, intelligent entity, she’s smart but it’s about _survival_.  As long as Sam isn’t in any danger, she shouldn’t lash out.  Except, right now, she’s convinced she needs to come out into the world and that’s about _her own_ survival.  So my idea is to pluck her out of Sam’s body.”

“Pluck?”  Gabriel repeated, squinting.  “How the fuck-”

“Grace, genius,” Kali led in with a grin.  “You angels, you can go to the ethereal plane.  You don’t have to be corporal if you don’t wanna be.  As long as the pup was at ease, non-threatened, what if we used the grace inside Sam to fade his physical body?  Not all the way or else the pup may think she’s disappearing too, but _enough_.  Enough that she wouldn’t know what was happening.  The damage to Sam would be minimal, since only half or less than half of his actual body would be affected in the process.”  

Kali said with conviction, “Since he’d be a faded outline, we could see her perfectly!  She trusts me, as long as Sam trusts me I could reach in without hardly any interference and pull the sweet girl out.  I should be able to move through the barrier without hurting you, Sam.  Once she’s separated from daddy, Gabriel would help bring him back to human, heal anything that may have changed from her removal and we’ve got a delivery!”

Sam and Gabriel exchanged looks, and Sam asked swiftly, “Will it work?!  We’re on borrowed time, Gabe-”

“It’s actually…a fuckin’ _genius_ plan,” he said, breathless and offered a high-five.  Kali rolled her eyes, but took it.  “The thing is you being calm, Sammy.  Kali’s right - baby wants to protect, to make you happy and anything that’s a threat is going to throw a wrench in the system.  You’ve _gotta_ trust Kali.  One hundred percent.  Or else…God, I don’t want to think about it.”

“I do.  Trust her,” Sam said without hesitation, and he looked up to meet the eyes of the goddess.  “At least it’s not a ritual, it sounds easy enough from a step-by-step standpoint.  Even though I know you’re going to be doing the hard work,” the omega acknowledged, “But I trust you.  With my life.  With my pup.  Wow, _never_ could have imagined saying that seven months ago, huh?  Times sure have changed.”

The alpha woman’s face melted into a genuine smile.  “And I’m glad they have.  Truly.  Thank you for letting me be a part of this moment.”

Gabriel was the one to scoff and roll his eyes, “Well, you got the invite, I didn’t.  Damn sassy pants.  I’m gonna have some words with her.  Ya know.  Once she’s born.  Or can talk.  Or, whatever.  Jeez!”

“Let’s get this going?” Sam suggested, anxiety still buzzing through his system but now it was more positive than before.

They had a direction, a method, a _goal_.  And Kali had steady hands.  Gabriel had a fight in him that meant they’d never lose.  Sam just had to remain calm and keep the pup calm.  They could do this, he knew it.  And then they’d be able to celebrate and hold the little girl who’d not merely saved the world, but who had solidified and made Gabriel and Sam’s life so much more complete by the prospect of her joining it.

\--------------------

There were multiple times that Cas had to physically wrangle Dean back with angelic strength from storming into the room.  
  
For whatever reason (Castiel couldn't comprehend  _why_ they hadn’t put up any barrier spell - Gabriel said they sigils and warding, which was why it was safer here than a hospital!) because something was most definitely happening and the group outside the birthing room shouldn't have been able to know.    
  
There was a fireworks display.  The sounds of Sam crying out were driving Dean to the edge.  They hadn’t been prepared for this, not one bit.  He couldn't tear his eyes off that damn door.  The lock was blasted off and while it was shut, he could barge in there without any issues!  He could be with Sammy, he could-!

Bobby had been the one to talk Dean down, snapping, “You go in there, yer gonna make it worse than it already is, idjit!”

“That’s not how giving birth sounds!”  He wasn’t backing down, not yet, not when it was his baby brother.  “Neither is the light show and-”

“This isn’t a normal birth,” Cas assured him and tried to hold his hand, only for Dean to pull away.

That was when everything fell silent.

There was a blinding glow that cast from behind the door, something brilliant and white-hot before they needed to shield their eyes from…

The sound of the baby crying.

Dean collapsed backwards onto the mattress he’d been laying on and tried to catch his breath.  His heart had been racing, he’d been on the verge (no, in the middle) of a panic attack, but that sound?  That noise of the pup making its first little cries out into the world?    
  
It was priceless.

But then they were all waiting to hear the rest of the muffled speech on the other side.  Waiting for Gabriel and Sam to meet the little girl, waiting for Kali to be fawning over the baby.    
  
And…that wasn’t happening yet.  It was unnerving.

In fact, the next thing they heard was Gabriel’s cursed, “Shit!” he probably hadn’t intended to carry beyond the door, and Dean snapped right back up again.

This time, both Bobby and Cas were ready to shove him back down, but the fact that they hadn’t heard anything from Sam was borderline horrifying.  The pup was crying, which was good, but the archangel was freaking out and his brother wasn’t saying a _damn thing._  Dean actually fought against the restraints, but they were all lucky his mate had the strength and grip because he did _not_ need to be in that room.

Another double-flash of lights that were obviously made from grace appeared and Dean could feel the world sluggishly slowing to a stop as he waited.

Then, finally, he heard a loud gasp that echoed clear into this room and Sam shout out, “Fuck!” sounding strangled.

There were nothing but hushed voices after that, but Cas turned to Dean with a smile and said, “See?  Everyone’s okay.”

“B-but they _weren’t_.  Something happened, something _could’ve_ happened,” he protested, because he knew all the signs of shit going sideways and all the red arrows pointed in that direction.  “Cas, could you hear inside?  Please, tell me you know what was going on,” he turned to his mate with wide, pleading eyes.

The angel's focus fell, because he wasn’t sure if it was his place to tell, because of course he’d pitched his ears inward to see what was happening.

“The pup…was volatile.  Nephilim, they’re so powerful, it would only be delivered by Kali and they figured a way to make Sam semi-corporal and extract the baby that way.  Except, without the solidity of Sam’s body holding the immense power in, it wrecked havoc because its cage no longer held it properly.  The moment it was able to freely move?  It...did so.”

Cas took in Dean’s ghastly stunned features, as well as Bobby’s shock and continued, “Sam was still tangible enough to be affected, but the pup was confused.  Kali seized the pup the moment she was able to, but bringing Sam back to his body was, well…it was chaotic.  Healing him was not pleasant.”

“But he’s okay?!” The alpha demanded, never having imagined the pup could have turned on his brother like this.

With an honest and soft glance, Cas confirmed, “They’re all okay.  The damage control was a bit messy, though.”

“Holy shit,” Dean groaned and rubbed a hand down his face.

Bobby shook his head and adjusted his trucker hat, “We never get things easy, do we?  Poor Sam.  Betcha this’ll be his one and only pup.  Angel better make sure’a that, never put my boy through it again.”

Gabriel peered out, and even though his color was returning from where he'd paled, he was still full of life and excitement when he asked, “Who wants to see the cutest little stinker in the world?”

All three men shot up from their seats and formed a line to get into the next room.

Kali was still cleaning up, energy flowing like a waterfall from her hand as the blood covering the sheets and (holy shit, splattered on the _walls_ ) vanished, and she acknowledged them with an exhausted smile.  Right away, she collapsed into the nearby chair, but everyone’s focus was on Sam and the little baby cradled in his arms.

Gabriel hopped right on the bed next to him and cuddled in close, the pup was all wide-eyed curiosity through honey-colored eyes and it was obvious who she’d gotten those from.  Yet her hair was growing dark in small tufts and she was scanning the room with little grunts.  The first cry had apparently been her last, because now she seemed like a regularly tiny angel.

Minus the fact she’d almost killed her father.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed with massive grin and an all-encompassing elation to his scent as he saw her.  She was wrapped in some cute flowery swaddling that Gabriel had snapped up, and Sam asked with a grin, “You wanna hold her?”

“Hell yes!” Dean was already grabbing for the little girl and eagerly took her and cradled her into his arms.  “She’s a stunner, that’s for sure.”  Not quite positive how to bring it up, he cast a side-eye to Sam and asked, “How are you?”

The mated pair glanced over to Castiel, who appeared sheepish but pointed out, “You never erected a barrier spell.  And the information and noise we received from our end was disconcerting.  I only filled them in once everything had wrapped up on...a _good_ note.”

Sam turned to his brother who was completely in love with the pup already and admitted, “It was…well, it was fucking petrifying.  Not because I was worried about dying, I was worried about not being there for her.  God, especially after everything we went through.”  He was having trouble taking his eyes off their newborn.  “Death didn’t scare me.  Missing out on her growing up, on raising her, on leaving Gabriel…that was what would’ve ruined me.”

Now that Sam had his arms free, Gabriel looped his own around his mate and pulled him close.  “You know I’d never let that happen.  Come hell or high water, I woulda scoured Heaven and brought yer ass back.”  He rested his chin on Sam’s shoulder, “Although it sucked, dammit, did it _suck_.  Maybe there’s a reason there’s no good info about nephilim birth.  Maybe the mommies don’t make it out.”

Kali raised her voice and admitted with honesty, “That’s actually a really good point.”  She shifted on the furniture, trying to find a more comfortable way to lay.  “Humans aren’t built to handle that kind of power, to house it.  Not matter how much they bond with their child, when it’s time to give birth?  The sheer strength of the pup would tear any human in half.  Even with a Pagan Goddess and an archangel, we were barely able to save him.”

“Probably another reason the lore is skewed,” Dean pointed out, “No living humans to record it.  Angels wouldn’t write about it.  They’d be too heartbroken about losing their true mates.  God, that’s _fucked up_.”  He glowed at the little bundle of joy in his arms and tsk’ed her, “You’re lucky you saved us from the Devil, or else I may be a little upset about you trying to murder my baby bro, you little savage.”

“There’s gotta be a better way,” Sam said with conviction, resting his head atop Gabriel’s.  “It doesn’t make sense for true mates to be ripped apart by having a family, by finding joy and then losing it.”

“The Fates are cold, hard, bitches, kid,” his mate reminded him.  “Why?  You thinking about having another one?” Gabriel teased and nuzzled him.

“I don’t know.  I want to give her my all.  She deserves it, you know?  But I want to look into it.  Maybe write our own experience, add it to the library, theorize.  It’s not right or fair.  Blasphemy or not, love is love.  It shouldn’t be punished like that.”  His scent would have been mournful if he wasn’t completely taken and happy about the pup in front of him, currently reaching up to touch his brother’s face.

“Where you gon’ from here?” Bobby asked from where he was leaning over Dean’s shoulder, a rare smile spreading across his face, as well.  “’Magine you’re gonna want a place of your own to raise her.  Not like we gotta lot’a room back at the salvage yard.”

“I’ve been preparing,” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows at Sam, who tilted his head in confusion because he wasn’t aware of this at all.  “A little space that exists in the in-between.  Gonna give you all a spell that’ll get you to the doorstep.  Think it’ll be best to keep her there.  Who knows when her powers will manifest.  We’ll need to keep a close eye on her and make sure the God Squad doesn’t catch wind.”

“You’ll love it, Sam,” Kali added from the other side of the room.  “He was thinking about you the whole time he was putting it together.”

“You knew about it?!” the omega demanded and was met with a grin.

“Duh.  I helped out, too.  Had to keep him from going over the top.  You guys will need to rest up and check it out today.  But I think a visit is in order for all of us tomorrow.  Hell, I know I need to rest up again.  That little sweetie drained me.  Like she’s got a _habit_ of doing,” Kali lamented and asked the men, “Anyone mind if I take a nap in the other room?”

“Help yourself,” Bobby nodded, grateful she was there to help out and deliver the child.

Kali rounded on the bed to see the pup one more time before her nap.  She kissed the baby’s forehead which thrilled the little girl and had her giggling.  With a sigh, she couldn’t help but whisper, “You were worth it.  I’ll see you soon, love,” before she staggered away, completely zapped.

“She’s really earned her stripes, hasn’t she?” Dean couldn’t help but comment once Kali was outside hearing range.

“Yeah, she really has,” Sam agreed and watched as Dean passed their little girl over to Bobby, who seemed startled but melted at the sight.  “You can’t really hurt her, Bobby.  She’s half angel, you know.  All powerhouse.”

“She’s beautiful,” he addressed it to both Sam and Gabriel.  “’M happy fer you two.  You deserve it.”

Castiel was watching the child very intently with a keen eye.  Like he didn’t know what to make of it because the soul and mix of grace was just so…intriguing.  He was analyzing, mystified and more than anything - taken by the splendor of it.

“Whatcha thinking, bro?” Gabriel finally asked, still snuggled as close to Sam as he could after their horrible scare.

“Bobby is correct.  She’s beautiful.  It’s such a shame of what becomes to the carrier.  It’s baffling because of how God’s light just shines through, the epitome of true mates can be seen inside the pup.  It’s breathtaking.  It’s so unique and a shame they’re abandon and given such horrible names because they never have guidance.”  Castiel looked up brightly, “You’ll do excellent.  Hopefully solve the mystery behind the fatalities and she’ll grow up strong.”

“Know she will,” Dean added and exhaled, “Think Kali’s got the right idea.  So you got that spell ready?  And you’re good with us dropping in tomorrow?  God knows Sammy’s excited to see your little residence.”

“Actually, I really am,” the omega admitted, giving Gabriel half a bitchface.  “Even though I didn’t know it was a thing.”

“Hey!  I needed a place to protect our princess!  And my _other_ princess!”  He smacked a kiss on Sam’s forehead, “You’ll love it.”

Bobby returned the pup to Sam’s arms and asked the million dollar question, right after Gabriel produced a folded-up piece of paper with the spell work, “You guys decide on a name yet?”

“Yeah,” Sam grinned widely when he replied, “Kayleigh,” leaning over and sneaking a glance at the woman in the other room, who’d delivered her and Kali couldn’t keep the beaming smile off her face.  Luckily, the Goddess was exchanging her heels for socks to take her nap and still awake to hear Sam's announcement. 

The three alphas traded glances between each other and nodded.  It was a damn good name, and a nod to a very special Goddess who’d earned it.  Now only had Kali won her very own redemption arc, she’d been the most valuable ally and wormed her way into the hearts of everyone in the room.  Including the pup, who responded and sought out her magic, unwilling to make her way into the world for anyone besides Kali.  
  
The fight in the pup, the stubborn nature and the undeniable handful she’d be...yeah, that name fit her just right and no one would disagree.

“Well, we’re off.  Have a good night, guys!  See you in the morning!” Gabriel announced with a swirl of his wrist, and suddenly the three disappeared.

\----------------------

Instead of landing in the middle of the home Gabriel had constructed in this mysterious “in-between,” he’d landed them right in bed with a slight bounce.    
  
Gabriel hummed lightly and took little Kayleigh into his arms and told Sam, “I’m gonna put her in the nursery for now, all right?  I wanna take care of you.  I…was really scared, Sammy.  Let me do this?”

And Sam wouldn’t lie.  He was too.  But he had to ask, “How far away is the nursery?”

“Across the hall.  I’ll leave the doors open.  We’ll be able to hear if she gets fussy, but I have a feeling after exerting all that energy, she’s gonna be out for a while.  Then she'll get a bottle,” he explained, and Sam knew that he was right.  “I’ll give you the grand tour in the morning.  I just need you now.”

Sam watched Gabriel disappear with their pup and he felt like he could finally relax.  He was completely healed, not only from the bloodshed but from the pup herself.  He felt like had before he even realized he was pregnant to begin with, like he was born anew.  Which was kind of awesome.

He glanced around and took in the room to realize, yeah, this was exactly what he would have picked out.  Kali wasn’t lying.  It was comfortable, not too over the top but with just enough bells and whistles to make it something special.  Something that added a little bit of Gabriel to the décor.  Sam liked it that way, he liked seeing imprints of his mate around and he liked seeing the subtleties that reflected on his own liking's.

When Gabriel finally returned, his scent was desperate, needy and loving.  He outright attacked Sam, lunging (and clearing) the distance of the bed and wrapping his arms around the omega, holding on for dear life.

He blurted out, “I am so fucking sorry.  I never thought something like that would happen.  I never would have put you in that position if I knew it was even a sliver of-”

“Shh, Gabe, it’s fine,” Sam assured him, “We all agreed, there’s a reason for the history behind nephilim lore.  No one makes it out.   _I did._  That’s a victory, right there.   _We_ did it.  We’ve got a gorgeous baby girl.  We’ve got each other.  Forever.  I love you, everything turned out all right, okay?”

“I just - _fuck_ ,” he hissed out, “Even with Lucifer…today was the worst.  I don’t know what I’d do.  I need you.  I need you so bad.”

Gabriel rolled up his body and covered Sam’s lips with his in a tender yet passionate kiss.  Like he needed proof his omega was still there, like he needed to prove to Sam just how much he loved him and meant to him.  Sam didn’t mind at all.  He wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck and kissed him just as hard, pushing it further and licking into his alpha’s mouth.

He understood the need to make everything real again, to confirm without a doubt this wasn’t a dream.  Sam had been there on so many occasions (past insecurities were hellish) and Gabriel was probably experiencing it for one of the first times.

Sam would gladly show him the ropes and how it was done.

Something that surprised the omega when his clothes were peeled away that he hadn’t even thought about was the fact that his body…was _his body_ again.  Sam knew he'd been healed, just not to _this_ extent.  Even though Gabriel was on a mission to kiss every square inch of him, Sam took a second to marvel at a sight he hadn’t seen in months.

“Wow…” he found himself saying, his alpha trailing kisses downward and spreading them across his middle.    
  
His now-flat and toned middle with no leftover baby weight because this really was his default.  Sam had kept hunting and exercising all the way up until his due-date.  That could've helped too-

“You gonna miss it?” Gabriel asked hesitatingly, “You always wonder, you know.  With new parents…”

“I don’t know.  Still haven’t had time to process…but one thing’s for sure,” Sam flashed him a wicked smirk before he could get much further.  He grabbed Gabriel by the shoulder and the chin, maneuvering him around until they were flush and rutting their hips together.  Sam gasped out, “I missed this.”

The archangel grabbed his mate’s hips, snapping the remainder of their clothes off to align their cocks and ground into the movement, avidly agreeing, “Oh, hell yeah.  Haven’t been able to do this in a s-second.  And now?” he thought aloud, nipping Sam’s shoulder, “I can be rough with you again, can’t I?”

That mischievous smile on Sam’s face had yet to falter and he agreed instantly, “As rough as you want, _alpha_.”

That sent a zing of arousal through him, just the way his omega’s eyes had darkened with lust and the scent of slick all but soaked the air, too.

But Gabriel felt the need to emphasize, “Soon.  Not this time, but soon.  I’ll throw you around, fuck you until you can’t walk.  Over and over.  But right now?  I’m gonna show you how much I love you.  Tie us together, make us one.”

There was so much emotion in his voice as he cupped Sam’s cheek and urged the words with reverie, staring his mate down.  Gabriel asked with a glow, “Let me have you?  Just like I wanna?”

And how could Sam refuse?

He glued their lips together again and let Gabriel roll him to his back, kissing him like he was the most precious thing in the world and it meant so much.  The life they were just starting together, how hard they’d fought for it, no matter where they’d started off.  It was such a journey, but as Gabriel slowly slid into his body and Sam moaned in sheer contented pleasure it was so goddamn _special_.

Gabriel paused when their hips were flush and took a second, waiting for Sam to open his eyes and look at him.  When their gazes met, the soft expression on his face told the alpha everything he needed to know.  Gabriel dragged his tongue along his claim mark and began rocking in and out of Sam’s shivering body, gently at first.

It didn’t take long for Sam to provoke him into moving faster.  He wasn’t breakable, even though, yeah, they had a scare, he wanted it all.  Sam needed his mate to give it to him, he needed the passion and the intensity rather than the hesitation and so he ordered Gabriel, “C’mon, know you can do better than that.”

“Oh yeah?” Gabriel flashed a grin and folded his mate’s body just enough to suck on the mating bite easier.  Sam’s reaction was nothing short of breathtaking, and the alpha began snapping his hips forward with more gusto.  “How does that feel, omega?”

With the wind knocked from his lungs, Sam could only nod before the words came to him, further taunting, “Fuck yeah, feels a-amazing. _You’re_ amazing, Gabriel, God, need it-” as he could feel the alpha’s knot rubbing his rim, feeling the friction, with each and every thrust inward.

He hungered for it, as Gabriel had said: the closeness, the concept of becoming one.  So Sam arched off the bed into every slam of Gabriel’s hips, trying to match the rhythm, and grind against that knot.  The feeling of being stretched from his newly healed body was a reflection of when Gabriel used to fuck him virgin-tight.  It was overwhelming in the most fantastic, sensational way.  Also, not being worried for a second about his stomach getting in the way or needing to be careful made Sam even more physical.

“Gabe, I’m-” he reached out and wrapped his arms around the archangel, hauling him into a deep and frantic kiss, needing to feel his knot swelling before he came.  He was praying that the alpha was close - in a literal _prayer_.   
  
Just like what had drawn him to Sam in the beginning.  His name echoed in the throes of passion, reaching out to him, tempting him until he _broke,_ gave in and couldn’t stay away.

It was the words and pleads inside Gabriel’s head and the feeling of Sam clenching around his cock that did it, Gabriel was spilling inside his mate because Sam was goddamn intoxicating and flawless.  The omega didn’t hold back, he cried out his alpha’s name with words of love as he covered them in cum.  He road out the orgasm bucking and grinding on Gabriel’s knot, leaving the alpha gasping.

Gabriel cradled Sam’s back, holding onto him for all he was worth...because this-

This was _exactly_ what he needed.  The tangible proof they were both still there.  Their true mate connection.  Their love made real.

Gabriel hoped he wasn’t strangling him as he laid them both down on the bed, knowing not to push Sam’s body because he had, indeed, noticed how (fucking _deliciously_ ) tight his mate was.  So they laid there, caressing each other with gentle hands and exchanging happy glances.

Sam was the first one to speak, asking, “So do you feel better now?”

“More than you know, kiddo,” he snorted and tried to make light of it by saying, “Sex makes everything better, right?”

“Heh, not about sex though.  You can’t fool me.  I’ve learned how to read between the lines and call you out on your bullshit.”  He said the words so casually, paired with a smile.  “We’re still here.  I know you needed proof, making sure it wasn’t a dream.  It _was_ touch and go, I get it.  And I’m here for you.  Any time you need it.”

Slowly, Gabriel’s dumb grin turned soft and he asked, “What did I do to deserve you?  Really.  I’ve done so much…bad.  So many horrible things, and I was blessed with you.  And our pup.  Fuck, it’s crazy, isn’t it?”

“I ask myself the same question, you know?”  Sam shrugged, trying not to get emotional, “Maybe it’s for cleaning up my mistakes?  Icing the Devil, literally?  My reward was you.  I’ll take it.  I’m not gonna ask too many questions, have it stolen away.”

“Me either.”  Gabriel leaned forward and kissed Sam’s forehead, “And now, nothing will come between us, nothing will tear us apart.  We’ve got our world to raise our pup!  She’s our real pint-sized prize.”

“Hell yeah, we do.”  He relaxed into the bed, even though he couldn’t take his eyes off his mate.  “I don’t think I’ve been more excited about anything in my life.  Wrangling her will be a challenge though, won’t it?”

“It’ll be fun!” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows, “She’s got all the love in the world.  And some damn good role models.  What could go wrong?”

There was a sharp edge to Sam's warning, “Do not even ask that question…”

“You’re right.  I take that back.”

“Oh God.  You just _had_ to say that, didn’t you?”  Sam groaned out loud, and at that exact moment, he could hear the soft sobs of their little girl begin in the nursery.  “This is your fault.   _You_ take care of it.”

“Yep.  I admit defeat,” Gabriel admitted with a fake-serious face and then whined, “I wanted to stay here all day,” but snapped them apart.  “I’ll take care of the baby girl and once she's fed, _we’re_ going for round two!”

Sam could only grin at his mate as he hopped off the bed, snapping on his boxers.  “I’m fine with that.  Sounds like the perfect day.”

“I have a good idea'r two once in a while.  Prepare yourself!  It’s a celebration!” Gabriel blew Sam a kiss as he sauntered out of the room and headed directly across the hall.  He disappeared into a room that Sam could see from the open doorway that had to be the nursery.  It gave him a piece of mind that Kayleigh's room really was so close.

“We’ve earned it,” Sam agreed, calling over to his mate and collapsed back in the bed with a wild grin.    
  
He couldn't stop the thoughts flooding his brain, because - _wow_.  Gabriel.  The archangel and Pagan God - Sam's true mate.  Was in the nursery, _their_ nursery, checking on _their pup_ who was welcomed into the world mere hours ago.  A world that was safe, a place where she'd have two parents to raise here (unprecedented for a nephil) and a loving family surrounding her.  Just thinking over all the great things that were really, _truly_ happening for the new family...it was staggering.  And their future was together.    
  
Gabriel had said it best, it was time to celebrate.


End file.
